THE-H 


LIFE 


ILD 


J^rri  aiH 
4« 


nido^I 


te  orfw  fni 

Jrn  bliw  }o  bfiol  B  byiavibb  bnc 
Jon  bib  .inaraom  srb  JB  ^nibooid  «BV/ 
3T  vft  bnK  (-)i)i^  ;>no  oJ  bsqqorf 

iq  f)Hl  ni  isd  993  uoy  9i9flw 


Robin   Family 

Cock  Robin,  who  stands  at  the  back,  has  just  brought 
.UK!  delivered  a  load  of  wild  red  cherries.  His  mate,  who 
was  brooding  at  the  moment,  did  not  leave  the  nest,  but 
hopped  to  one  side,  and  presently  returned  to  her  post, 
where  you  see  her  in  the  picture. 


THE-HOME  LIFE 


OF  WILD  BIRDS 


A  New 

1  > 

the  Study  and 
Photography  of  Birds 


BY 


FRANCIS  HOBART  HERRICK 


Witb  141  ©rioinal  1IUu0tration0  from  mature 
b    the  Butbor 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

ZTbe  IRnicfeerbocfeer  press 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
1902 


GENERAL 


COPYRIGHT,  MAY,  1901 

BY 
FRANCIS  HOBART  HERRICK 

Set  up,  electrotyped,  and  printed  May,  1901 
Reprinted  August,  1901  ;  January,  1902 


TEbe  f?nicl?erbocl?er  press,  Hew  13orl? 


ta 


V 


TO    THE    MEMORY 

OF 

MY    FATHER    AND    MOTHER 


167098 


COME   LET   US  LIVE    WITH    THE   BIRDS! 


PREFACE. 

IN  studying  the  habits  of  wild  birds  two  important  problems  are  at  once  encountered, 
that  of  approach  and  the  control  of  the  position  of  the  nest.     My  first  experiments 
were  made  with  Redwing  Blackbirds  and  Cedar  Waxwings,  and  I  soon  perceived 
that  an  important  principle  was  involved,  which  every  subsequent  experiment  tended  to 
confirm.      Wishing  to  test  its  value  as  fully  as  possible,  every  available  nest  which  came 
to  hand  was  utilized,  without  the  exercise  of  choice  in  regard  to  species. 

The  observations  were  made  for  the  most  part  in  central  New  Hampshire,  in  the 
towns  of  Northfield  and   Tilton,  and  pertain  to  the  common  birds  of  the  country. 
I  am  indebted  to  my  sister  for  many  practical  and  valuable  suggestions. 


WESTERN  RESERVE  UNIVERSITY, 

ADELBERT  COLLEGE,  CLEVELAND,  OHIO,  April,  1901. 


FRANCIS  HOBART  HERRICK. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

PREFACE .                         „  _       „  vii 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  ...                ix 

INTRODUCTION xv 

I.— A  NEW  METHOD  OF  BIRD  STUDY  AND  PHOTOGRAPHY         .        .        .  i 
II.— ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  METHOD:  THE  CEDAR-BIRD;  THE  BALTIMORE 

ORIOLE;  THE  REDWING  BLACKBIRD,  AND  THE  KINGBIRD  .        .        .17 

III. — TENT  AND  CAMERA:  THE  TOOLS  OF  BIRD-PHOTOGRAPHY     ...  29 

IV.— THE  ROBIN  AT  ARM'S  LENGTH;  A  STUDY  OF  INDIVIDUALITY    .        .  36 

V.— THE  CEDAR-BIRD      ...........  52 

VI. — RED-EYED  VIREOS 64 

VII  — THE  NEST-HOLE  OF  THE  BLUEBIRD .71 

VIII.— MINUTE  OBSERVATIONS  ON  CATBIRDS 76 

IX.— THE  REARING  OF  THE  NIGHT  HAWK     .......  80 

X. — THE  KINGFISHERS  AND  THEIR  KING  Row 86 

XL— CARE  OF  YOUNG  AND  NEST     .........  94 

L— BROODING  AND  FEEDING  THE  YOUNG. 
II. — CLEANING  THE  NEST. 

XII. — THE  FORCE  OF  HABIT     . in 

XIII. — FEAR  IN  BIRDS         . '  .  117 

XIV. — TAMING  WILD  BIRDS  WITHOUT  A  CAGE 125 

INDEX        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .139 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Robin  Family.  Cock  Robin,  who  stands  at  the  back,  has  just  brought  and  delivered  a 
load  of  wild  red  cherries.  His  mate,  who  was  brooding  at  the  moment,  did 
not  leave  the  nest,  but  hopped  to  one  side,  and  presently  returned  to  her  post, 
where  you  see  her  in  the  picture.  Lens  g^\  inch  focus  ;  speed  £  ;  stop  32  ; 
time  \  second;  plate,  Seeds'  No.  27  "gilt  edge"  (which  should  be  under- 
stood as  generally  used  in  this  work)  ;  distance  of  object  4  feet ;  full  sun  ; 

July  28,  1900 frontispiece 

Adult  Cedar-bird Title 

Footprints  of  Kingfisher  when  thirty-three  days  old.     Imprint  from  living  bird  .         .         ii 

Head  of  Cock  Robin  with  large  katydid  and  angleworm  in  bill  ......        iv 

In  the   hill   country  of  New   Hampshire,   overlooking   Northfield   and   Tilton,   which  is 
screened  by  the  hill  in  foreground.     To  the  south,  on  the  left,   stands   Mt. 
Kearsarge  ;  toward  the  northern  horizon  Ragged  Mt.         .....        vi 

Automatic  sign-language  of  a  young  bird,  illustrated  in  a  Cedar  Waxwing  12  days  old. 

X  2\  .         .         .        -.- vii 

Chipping  Sparrow — "  aiming  "  at  a  yellow  "  target  "^  .          .......      viii 

Kingbird  perched  in  characteristic  manner  above  its  nest  in  an  apple  tree          .         .         .      xiv 
Head  of  Red-tailed  Hawk  with  frill  erect.     Four  months  old      ......      xix 

FIG.      i. — Observation  tent  beside  Cedar-bird's  nest,  which  was  taken  with  its  branch  from 
pine  tree  and  carried  to  open  field.     At  this  nest  the  series  shown  on  pages  n, 
57-61  was  made         ............         2 

FIG.     2. — Tent  in  bushy  pasture,  marking  position  of  nest  of  Chestnut-sided  Warblers      .         4 
FIG.     3. — Nearer  view  of  same  tent  and  nest,  showing  brooding  bird          ....         5 

FIG.     4. — Truncated  elm,  riddled  by  Woodpeckers,  the  lower  nest-hole  recently  occupied 

by  Bluebirds      .............         6 

FIG.     5. — Tent  and  Bluebird's  nest.     Compare  Figs.  10,  59-65 7 

FIG.     6. — Kingbird's  nesting  tree,  and  nesting  branch — removed  and  mounted  on  stakes 
— with  tent.     The  tent-cloth  is  laid  in  position  at  one  end  of  peak,  and  ready 
to  be  drawn  over  frame.     The  Kingbird  pictures  were  all  made  on  this  spot  .         8 
FIG.     7. — Female  Kingbird  astride  nest, — the  later  brooding  attitude        ....         9 
FIG.     8. — Kingbird  family,  the  female  partly  hidden  at  the  back.     It  was  an  easy  matter 

to  focus  directly  upon  the  head  of  the  standing  or  brooding  bird  ...         9 
FIG.     9. — Cedar-bird  about  to  feed  young  by  regurgitation.     Photographed  at  the  nest 
shown  in  Figs,  i,  12,  and   13.     Zeiss  Anastigmat,  Ser.  ii  a,  6£  inch;  speed  {; 
distance  about  30  inches,  in  full  sun       .          .         .         .         .         .         .         .11 


x  Illustrations 

PAGE 

FIG.   10. — Female  Bluebird  with  cricket  at  converted  nest-hole  of  Flicker          ...       13 
FIG.    ii. — Female  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  standing  over  young.     Compare  Fig.  3     .          .        14 
FIG.    12. — Cedar-bird's  nest  in  pine,  15  feet  from  the  ground.     Upstretched  neck  of  the 
old  bird  could  be  seen  at  a  point  just  beneath  the  upper  arrow-head.     Nesting 
bough  carried  to  field  beyond,  and  mounted  as  shown  in  Figs,  i  and  13         .        18 
FIG.    13  — Nesting  branch  of  Cedar-bird  set  up  in  field  and  tent  pitched  beside  it.     Com- 
pare Figs,  i  and  12         .         .         .         .','..         .         .         .         .       19 

FIG.    14. — Oriole  inspecting  young.     Still  timid  to  a  degree      .         .         .         ...         .20 

FIG.    15.  — Oriole  inspecting  nest.     Behavior  freer  than  in  last  .         .         .         .         .21 

FIG.    16. — Tent  in  swamp,  fronting  Redwing  Blackbird's  nest  .....       22 

FIG.    17. — Kingbird  feeding  young,  and  balancing  herself  with  uplifted  wings  .          .        23 

FIG.    18. — Male  Kingbird  serving  a  Cicada  or  harvest-fly,  which  a  youngster  is  striving  to 

master.     Its  efforts  were  not  in  vain       .         .         .         .         .         .         .  23 

FIG.   19. — Unequal  contest  between  Kingbirds  and  a  dragon-fly.     This  insect  was  crushed 

and  served  up  piecemeal         •   .    /<         •         •         •         •         •         •         •         •       25 

FIG.   20  — Kingbirds  serving  a  dragon-fly,  whose  wings  and  stick-like  body  are  seen  pro- 
truding from  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  young  .          .         .          .          .          .          .25 

FIG.   21. — Male  Redwing  Blackbird  feeding  a  young  one          -.         .  .         .         .27 

FIG.   22. — Female  "  bristling  "   to  keep  cool,  while  shielding  the  young  on  morning  of  a 

hot  day.     July  u,  1900          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  •  ~».  ,    27 

FIG.   23  — Kingbird  out  of  its  nest  at  age  of  eighteen  days,  with  power  of  flight  well  de- 
veloped.    July  13,  1900         .         .         .....         .         .         .         .         .28 

FIG.   24. — Tent,  folded  for  carrying,  cameras,  and  plate-bag — the  tools  of  bird-photography       30 
FIG.   25. — Brown  Thrush  entering  her  nest  to  brood      -**.         ......       33 

FIG.   26. — Robin   in  an  April  snow.     Wade  Park,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  April  4,  1900.      X  3 
FIG.   27. — Head  of  Cock  Robin,  life-size  X  43  ........       37 

FIG.   28. — Head  of  female   Robin,  life-size  x  4$.      The  slime  on  her  bill   is  from  the 

throat  of  a  young  bird    ...........       37 

FIG.   29. — Female  Robin  brooding  .  .^j     .....       40 

FIG.  30. — Female  Robin  inspecting  nest  .........       41 

FIG.  31. — Cock  feeding  cluster  of  earthworms  .         ........       43 

FIG.   32. — Cock  standing  at  nest  immediately  after  serving  food,  and  ready  for  the  duty  of 

inspection  and  cleaning  ..........       46 

FIG.  33. — Female  Robin  cleaning  nest      ..........       49 

FIG.  34. — -Head  of  brooding  female,  life-size  X  2^    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -5° 

FIG.  35. — Cedar-bird  chorus.     The  young,  with  wings  spread  and  a-quiver,  with  open 

mouth  and  upstretched  necks  are  calling  to  the  silent  mother.     Life-size  X  3       53 
FIG.  36. — Cedar-bird  family  group,  the  male  with  full  throat  and  black  cherry  in  bill        .       54 
FIG.  37. — Cedar-bird  approaching  nest  of  young  which  are  nearly  ready  to  fly  .          .       55 

FIG.  38. — The  same  bird  standing  at  nest  with  full  gullet, — a  little  later  in  day  after  one 

of  the  young  had  left     ...........       56 

FIG.  39. — The  Cedar-bird  approaches  with  closed  bill  but  full  throat        .         .         .  57 

FIG.  40. — After  feeding  she  inspects  the  young  and  in  this  instance  appears  to  be  sitting 

with  tail  resting  on  the  branch,  but  this  is  probably  not  the  case     .         .         -57 
FIG.  41. — She  tosses  up  her  head,  and  produces  a  cherry          .         .         ....         .58 

FIG.  42. — She  is  startled  at  a  strange  sound      .         .         .         .         .  .  .58 

FIG.  43. — She  looks  curiously  at  the  tent  while  inspecting  nest          .         .         ...         -59 


Illustrations  xi 

PAGE 

FIG.  44. — She  stands  like  a  statuette  while  inspecting  her  family  .  .  .  .  -59 
FIG.  45. — She  devours  what  is  sometimes  removed  from  the  nest  .....  60 
FIG.  46. — The  sac  is  taken  directly  from  the  cloaca  of  the  young  bird  .  .  .  .61 
FIG.  47 — A  young  Waxwing  from  this  nest  on  the  morning  of  flight,  in  natural  attitude 

expressive  of  fear.     July  19,  1900  .         .         .         .         .  .         .       62 

FIG.  48. — Cedar-bird,   thirty-six  hours  old.     Typical  instinctive  response  to  sound  or 

vibration  of  nest.  The  stub-wings  are  used  for  support  ....  62 
Cedar-bird  standing  at  nest  after  delivery  of  food  .  .  .  .  -  ."  .  .  .  63 
FIG.  49. — Male  Red-eyed  Vireo  standing  over  nest.  Life-size  X  3  .  .  .  -65 

FIG.  50. — Female  Red-eyed  Vireo  with  a  neuropterous  (?)  insect  in  bill  ....  66 
FIG.  51. — Feeding  a  nestling  ............  60 

FIG.  52. — Female  inspecting  the  nest  in  the  characteristic  manner 66 

FIG.  53. — Male  standing  over  the  young  ..........       67 

FIG.  54. — Female  Red-eyed  Vireo  cautiously  inspecting  nest.     Compare  with  the  freer 

manner  illustrated  in  Fig.  52.     July  5,  1900  .......       67 

FIG.   55. — Approaching  to  inspect  the  nest  and  drawing  back  .         .     -    .         .         .         .67 

FIG.   56. — Cautiously  feeding  the  young   ..........       68 

FIG.  57. — Inspecting  nest  at  a  distance  .  --  .  .  .69 

FIG.   58. — Young  birds  from  this  nest  just  before  flight      .......       70 

FIG.  59. — Female  Bluebird  on  point  of  leaving  nest-hole  .         .         .         .         .  71 

FIG.   60. — Taking  grasshopper  to  young  .         .  -       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -72 

FIG.   61.  —  Standing  at  entrance  with  green  insect-larva  in  bill  ......       73 

FIG.  62. — Female  Bluebird  cleaning  the  nest  ........       74 

FIG.   63. — Cleaning  the  nest      ............       74 

FIG.  64. — Cleaning  the  nest      ............       74 

FIG.  65. — Taking  a  final  glance  around  before  entering  nest-hole  with  grasshopper  .  .  75 
FIG.  66. — Female  Catbird  bringing  to  young  a  limp  dragon-fly,  the  large  ALschna  /teros, 

which  has  just  issued  from  its  pupa-skin          .......        76 

FIG.   67. — Catbird  inspecting  her  young    ..........       77 

FIG.  68. — Catbird  cleaning  the  nest  ..........       79 

FIG.   69. — Night  Hawk  on  bare  ground,  and  eggshells  from  which  it  emerged  three  days 

before    ..............       80 

FIG.   70. — Night  Hawk  approximately  three  days  old         .......       81 

FIG.   71. — Night  Hawk  about  nine  days  old 81 

FIG.   72. — Night  Hawk  about  twelve  days  old  .........       82 

FIG.   73. — Night  Hawk  about  sixteen  days  old  ........       82 

FIG.   74. — Front-face  view  of  bird  shown  in  Fig.  72  .         .         .         .         .         .         -83 

FIG.    75. — Young  Night  Hawk  in  enclosure  where  it  remained  until  able  to  fly  .          .       83 

FIG.   76. — Tunnel  of  Kingfisher  (on  the  right)  in  sand-bank  overgrown  with  pines,  beside 

country  road.      Northfield,  New  Hampshire.     August,  1899  ...       86 

FIG.   77. — Nest  of  1900  in  same  bank  and  probably  of  same  pair.      Kingfisher  taking  fish 

to  young.     Lens  9T7g-  inch;  speed  -£;  stop  8;  time  ^  second;  distance  9  ft.  8 

in. ;  full  sun.      July  24,  1900  .          .          .        - .          .          .          .          .          .87 

FIG.   78. — Kingfisher  backing  out  of  tunnel.     A  stream  of  sand  is  started  from  the  opening 

at  every  entrance  and  exit      .          .          .          .          .          .          .         .         ,         .87 

FIG.   79. — Five  Kingfishers  from  chamber  at  end  of  tunnel— approximately  nine  days  old. 

July  19,  1900          ...         .          .  89 


xii  Illustrations 

PACK 

FIG.  80. — Posed  in  line,  biting  and  pulling       ...  89 

FIG.   81. — Posed  in  row  to  illustrate  habit  of  sitting  still    .          .          .         .         .         .  90 

FIG.   82. — King-row  at  a  later  stage — birds  thirteen  days  old     .         .         .         .         .         .       90 

FIG.   83. — Kingfisher  at  nine  days,  showing  feather  tubes  and  tracts          .  .          .       91 

FIG.   84. — At  thirteen  days.     The  wing-quills  show  one  half  inch  of  the  blue-black,  white- 
tipped  feather-shafts       .         .         .  .         .  .         .         .         -91 

FIG.   85. — Kingfisher  at  fifteen  days.     Nearly  all  feathers  partly  unsheathed      ...       92 
FIG.   86. — Kingfishers  eighteen  days  old.     The  bright  blue  of  the  upper  parts  and  the 

white  and  chestnut  bands  across  the  breast  are  now  very  prominent        .         .       92 
FIG.   87.  —  Kingfishers  twenty-two  days  old.     To  illustrate  how  they  break  ranks  and  walk 
backwards,  when  placed  in  line.     The  second  on  the  left  has  already  taken  a 
few  backward  steps         .         .         ...'..         .         .         .         -93 

FIG.  88. — Female  Brown  Thrush  brooding.    Lens  9T\  inch;  speed  -| ;  stop  32;  time  ^-sec- 
ond; distance  4  feet  in  full  sun.     July  13,  1900      ......       95 

FIG.  89. — Female  Robin  brooding.     Attitude  of  keen  attention        .         .         .         .         -97 

FIG.  90. — Female  Redwing  Blackbird  feeding  a  young  bird      .    '   ' .         .         .         .         .98 

FIG.  91. —  The  same  bird  awaiting  the  reflex  response  of  the  throat  and  gullet  of  young. 

If  not  forthcoming,  the  food  is  withdrawn,  and  another  is  tested    ...       98 
FIG.   92. — Female  Kingbird  standing  over  young  with  drooping  wings  to  ward  off  the  sun. 

Typical  brooding  attitude  during  last  days  of  life  at  nest         .         .         .          .       99 

FIG.  93. — Kingbirds  rending  an  unruly  grasshopper          .         .         .  •      •„.        .         .         .—     99 

FIG.  94. — Helping  a  grampus  down  the  throat  of  a  Kingbird     .  .         .         .         .      101 

FIG.  95. — The  male  grampus,  Corydalus  cornutus.     Full  size,  from  life      .         .         .         .     101 

FIG.  96. — Female  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  bristling  to  keep  cool  while  brooding  on  a  hot 

June  day        .         .         •         .         .         .         .  .         .         .         .         .102 

FIG.  97. — The  same  bird  in  the  more  common  attitude  of  brooding  during  the  early  life  of 
the  young.     Lens  Zeiss  Anastigmat,   Ser.  ii  a;  6£  inch;  speed  |;  stop  32; 
time  \  second;  distance  3  feet  in  full  sun.     June  23,  1900      ....     102 

FIG.  98. — Male  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  brings  food  for  his  little  children.     His  mate,  who 

is  brooding,  receives  it  into  her  own  bill,  but  does  not  taste  a  particle  herself .      103 
FIG.  99. — Female   Chestnut-sided   Warbler  brooding  with    throat  puffed  out  and  head- 
feathers  erect          ............     103 

FIG.    100. — Female  Brown  Thrush  placing  food  well  down  in  the  throat.     Point  of  bill  is 

on  level  with  external  ear  of  young        ........      104 

FIG.   101. — The  same  bird  cleaning  the  nest      .........     105 

FIG.   102. —  Cedar-bird  taking  sac  from  cloaca  of  young     .         .  ....     106 

FIG.    103. — Female  Kingbird  cleaning  the  nest  ........     107 

FIG.   104. — Baltimore  Oriole  feeding  its  young  ........     108 

FIG.    105 — The  same  bird  in  another  attitude  .........     109 

A  Hatful  of  Kingfishers    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .no 

FIG.    106. — Male  Redwing  Blackbird  inspecting  nest         .         .         .         .         .         .         .112 

FIG.   107. — The  same  bird  engaged  in  the  same  occupation.     To  illustrate  the  formation 

of  habits  in  the  daily  routine         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         ..112 

FIG.   108. — Cock  with  a  large  grasshopper         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     113 

FIG.   109. — Cock  "  taking  aim  "        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  113 

FIG.   no. — Cock  ready  to  inspect  the  nest         .......";.     114 

FIG.    in. — Female  Robin  inspecting  the  nest  in  a  typical  attitude     .         .         .         .         .114 


Illustrations  xiii 

PACE 

FIG.    112. — Female  Kingbird  inserting  an  insect  in  the  throat  of  a  fledgling       .          .         .115 
FIG.   113. — Cedar-bird's  eggs  with  two  blind  and  naked  young  thirty-six  hours  old    .         .     118 
FIG.    114. — The  same        ...         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .118 

FIG.  115. — The  same,  illustrating  different  phases  of  instinctive  behavior  .  .  .  118 

FIG.  116. — Kingfishers  twenty-four  days  old,  posed  to  illustrate  fearlessness,  when  capable 

of  flight      ...         .         .  .         .         .         .         .         .  -       .         .119 

FIG.  117. — Young  Cedar-birds  at  nest,  in  characteristic  attitude.  Under  the  influence  of 

fear  and  ready  for  flight.      For  description,  see  page  60        .         .         .         .120 

FIG.   118. — Brown  Thrush  startled  on  nest  . .       „         ;  .     121 

FIG.   119. — Cock  Robin  startled  by  alarm  call  of  his  mate          ......      122 

FIG.  120. — Red-tailed  Hawk  worried.  Instinctive  attitude  expressive  of  fear,  and  serving 

to  inspire  fear       ...          ........          .123 

FIG.  121. — Young  Cowbird  standing  at  nest  of  Magnolia  Warblers,  its  foster  parents  .  124 
FIG.  122. — Young  Cowbird,  as  it  appeared  when  found,  completely  filling  the  nest,  having 

smothered  its  rightful  occupants  .         .         .         .         .  .  .     124 

FIG.   123. — Male  Kingbird  standing  at  nest,  and  young  in  characteristic  attitude       .         .126 
FIG.   124. — Female  Robin,  engaged  in  nest-cleaning          .         .         .         .         .         .         .127 

FIG.    125. — Female  Red-eyed  Vireo  feeding  the  young      .......     128 

FIG.   126. — Her  mate  ready  to  inspect  and  clean  the  nest  .          .         .          .         .         .129 

FIG.  127. — Offering  food  to  a  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  tamed  without  a  cage  .  .  .  132 
FIG.  128. — Chestnut-sided  Warbler  family,  the  male  above  the  nest  on  which  sits  his 

brooding  mate      .         .  '••         •         •         •         •         •         •         •          •      133 

FIG.  129. — Female  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  taking  a  peep  at  the  nest,  which  then  contained 

eggs  or  young  birds  barely  hatched       ........     134 

FIG.  730. — The  same  bird  inspecting  her  young  after  feeding  them  ....  135 


INTRODUCTION. 


I.  ',  ,  ,> 

TO  describe  and  illustrate  a  new  means  of  studying  animal  behavior,  and  to  record 
what  has  been  learned  by  its  aid  concerning  the  lives  of  some  of  our  common 
birds  is  the  main  purpose  of  this  volume.    It  is  a  popular  study  of  birds  in  action 
and  is  chiefly  concerned  with  the  homes  or  nests  and  their  occupants. 

While  the  desire  has  been  present  to  make  these  pages  readable,  no  effort  has  been 
spared  to  render  them  accurate.  Many  of  the  observations  are  new ;  nearly  all  are 
original,  and  every  statement  of  fact  is  believed  to  be  true  as  it  stands. 

The  wish  to  give  a  human  interest  to  every  phase  of  animal  activity  is  of  very  ancient 
origin  and  has  done  too  much  already  in  spreading  the  seeds  of  popular  error  and  super- 
stition concerning  animal  life  and  lore.  Animals  should  be  studied  as  animals  which  they 
are,  and  not  as  human  beings  which  they  have  never  been  and  are  not  likely  ever  to 
become. 

The  constant  reading  of  human  attributes  into  the  activities  of  animals  is  to  begin  at 
the  wrong  end,  and  is  a  drag  on  the  progress  of  accurate  knowledge.  We  should  first  study 
the  animal  as  far  as  possible  from  its  own  standpoint,  and  learn  with  exactness  the  facts 
of  its  life,  taking  care  not  to  press  analogies  farther  than  the  observed  facts  will  warrant. 
Ignorance  of  anatomy  as  well  as  of  physiology,  and  the  desire  to  find  in  the  doings  of  ani- 
mals a  marvelous  counterpart  of  human  powers  of  intelligence  and  reason  have  already 
stocked  our  libraries  with  fables,  anecdotes,  and  stories,  many  of  which  make  delightful 
reading,  but  possess  little  value  for  the  modern  student. 

The  first  duty  of  the  narrator  of  natural  as  well  as  civil  history  is  to  tell  the  truth, i 
and  to  the  naturalist  belongs  also  the  privilege  of  showing  that  the  lives  of  the  higher  ani- 
mals, when  fully  and  clearly  revealed,  possess  a  more  vital  interest  than  the  puppet  dressed 
in  human  clothes,  however  admirable  the  latter  may  be  as  a  work  of  art. 

I  trust  that  the  reader  will  not  misunderstand  these  remarks.  Is  it  denied  that 
animals  possess  intelligence  or  any  powers  of  reason?  Not  at  all!  Such  questions  de- 
pend largely  upon  our  definitions  of  words,  and  without  fresh  observations  are  usually 
fruitless  of  result.  What  is  criticized  is  the  gross  anthropomorphism  which  characterizes 
much  that  is  written  upon  the  actions  of  animals.  If  I  am  an  offender  in  this  direction, 
I  hope  it  is  only  in  a  minor  degree.  I  am  anxious  to  attribute  to  the  animal  every  power 
which  it  is  actually  known  to  possess,  and  look  for  the  roots  of  human  instinct  and  intel- 


xvi  Introduction. 

ligence  all  along  the  line  of  animal  evolution.     It  tends  only  to  confusion,  however,  to 
call  those  acts  of  association  which  lead  to  acquired  habits,  instincts,  or  the  countless 
mechanical  or  chemical  reactions  of  organisms  to  external  stimuli,  the  expressions  of 
intelligence  and  thought.     "  Go  to  the  ant  thou  sluggard  !  "  is  good  advice,  but  one  should 
bring  from  the  ant  a  trustworthy  account  of  how  it  performs  its  wonderful  works.    It  is  im- 
portant to  distinguish  the  root  from  the  bud,  as  well  as  from  the  perfected  flower  and  fruit. 
Although  this  is  not  a  treatise  on  animal  behavior,  a  general  working  theory  has  been 
adopted  and  will  now  be  given.  Every  animal  at  birth  inherits  with  its  bodily  organs  the 
power  to  use  them  in  a  more  or  less  definite  way,  and  all  but  the  lowest  animals,  of  which 
/  the  Protozoa,  jelly-fishes,  and  possibly  the  worms  may  be  taken  as  representatives,  acquire 
some  pcvwer  *>£  learning  to  do  things  in  the  course  of  their  lives.     Their  equipment  thus 
•K^pbnsists  ctf'(tf)'u<rilearned  or  inherited  powers,  and  (2)  of  learned  or  acquired  abilities,  which 
,   ,  ,  ^ar.e-t.he'  results  .'of  experience  —  often  very  bitter.    The  term  "  instinct  "  when  used  in  a  very 
"      ''  ''  "  " 


sense'  riay  be  given  to  all  inherited  or  ingrained  tendencies,  and  "  habit  "  reserved 
for  what  is  acquired  or  learned  through  a  process  of  association  of  certain  things  with 
certain  acts.  An  animal's  powers  thus  consist  of  free  gifts  at  its  start  in  life,  and  later 
acquisitions  gained  through  its  own  efforts  in  the  struggle  for  existence. 

The  catalogue  of  instinctive  acts  —  even  in  the  narrower  sense  of  involving  a  number 
of  different  organs  —  is  surprisingly  great  in  an  animal  standing  so  high  in  the  scale  as  the 
bird,  but  examples  drawn  from  a  single  species  will  suffice.  When  the  spring  comes  the 
young  bird,  who  returns  to  the  place  of  its  birth,  is  prompted  to  find  a  mate,  and  with  her 
soon  begins  to  build  a  nest.  Though  unattended  by  instructors  and  unprepared  by  prac- 
tice, it  uses  the  inherited  tools  of  its  guild  —  bill,  breast,  and  feet  —  with  a  nice  precision, 
and  be  it  Oriole,  Robin,  Flycatcher,  or  Vireo,  follows  with  wonderful  closeness  the  type  of 
architecture  which  its  ancestors  have  used  for  ages. 

Why  does  the  Robin  in  its  first  attempt  at  nest-building  begin  by  laying  a  foundation 
of  dry  grass  or  stubble,  and  add  to  this  mud  softened  with  water  and  made  into  a  mortar, 
which  it  then  heaps  about  its  breast  and  molds  into  a  symmetrical  cup,  often  selecting  a 
rainy  day  for  the  work  ?  One  might  as  well  ask  why  the  Robin  lays  blue  eggs,  or  why  it 
utters  its  well  known  call.  It  acts  in  these  ways  because  it  must,  because  Robins  have 
been  doing  these  things  for  hundreds  of  generations.  It  not  only  inherits  tools,  but  a  cer- 
tain aptitude  for  their  use.  Its  organization  compels  or  determines  its  actions. 

No  learning  of  such  initial  actions  is  required  or  even  possible  since  all  this  has  been 
attended  to,  as  one  might  say,  centuries  before  the  animal  was  born.  These  instinctive 
responses  are  spontaneous,  and  when  the  right  button  is  pressed  or  the  right  stimulus  ap- 
plied from  without  or  within,  the  reaction  follows  as  a  matter  of  course.  Of  course  the 
Robin  must  make  a  mortar  of  mud  and  straw;  of  course  it  must  lay  blue  eggs,  and  after 
incubating  them,  carefully  rear  and  feed  its  young.  To  do  otherwise  would  not  only  be 
absurd,  but  very  uncomfortable.  Had  its  ancestors  been  Cowbirds  it  would  have  made 
no  nest  at  all,  but  filched  another's,  and  foisting  its  eggs  upon  some  simple  minded  nurse, 
shirked  the  duties  of  parents  to  their  offspring.  The  Cowbird  was  thus  very  early  to  enter 
the  field  of  experimental  psychology. 

Every  bird  must  follow  the  laws  of  its  nature,  and  its  inherited  instincts  are  no  more 
wonderful  than  its  inherited  organs,  —  its  vocal  cords,  its  keen  eyes,  and  its  marvelous 
feathers. 


Introduction.  xvii 

The  higher  animals  thus  start  in  life  with  a  definite  equipment, — a  body  tuned  to 
respond  to  the  world  in  which  they  are  placed,  and  this  ingrained  ability  for  action  may 
be  called  instinct. 

In  speaking  of  the  "  habits  "  of  animals  we  usually  mean  the  manner  of  their  life  in 
general,  while  a  "  habit  "  in  the  technical  sense  may  be  regarded  as  a  mode  of  action  which 
the  animal  has  learned  or  acquired.  It  is  associated  with  pleasure,  and  in  the  course  of 
repetition  may  become  more  or  less  fixed  or  "  stereotyped."  In  this  sense  habits  are 
formed  out  of  the  raw  material  which  heredity  provides.  The  young  bird  learns  to  eat 
certain  things,  to  avoid  certain  enemies,  to  start  at  certain  sounds,  to  ignore  others,  to 
approach  its  nest  in  a  certain  way.  Thus  also  the  vertebrate  sometimes  acquires  the 
habit  of  walking  backward,  while  its  instinct  leads  it  to  walk  forward. 

Habits  must  in  time  take  the  place  of  instincts  in  a  very  large  measure,  and  it  would 
not  be  strange  if  a  Robin's  second  nest  were  more  nearly  perfect  than  its  first,  or  if  the 
third  were  better  than  the  second,  but  this  would  also  depend  upon  other  conditions. 

The  power  of  forming  habits  is  a  sign  of  intelligence,  but  not  necessarily  of  reason. 
The  intelligence  may  be  a  small  grain  and  never  destined  to  grow  into  a  flourishing  tree 
of  knowledge,  but  it  must  exist  along  with  the  power  of  profiting  by  experience. 

The  mental  faculties  of  birds  seem  to  exhibit  a  wide  range  of  gradation  from  exces- 
sive stupidity  to  a  fair  degree  of  intelligence,  with  strong  associative  powers, — rarely  if 
ever  the  association  of  ideas,  but  of  things  with  actions, — and  often  with  wonderful 
powers  of  imitation. 

The  habits  acquired  by  one  generation  are  probably  never  handed  on  to  the  next, 
but  this  is  a  subject  from  which  the  dust  of  argument  has  not  yet  cleared  away. 


II. 

That  a  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in  the  bush  may  be  a  good  motto  for  the  an- 
atomist or  epicure,  but  for  the  observer  of  living  animals  a  bird  within  reach  of  the  hand 
and  still  in  the  bush  is  of  far  greater  worth.  The  problem  is  how  to  see  and  not  be 
seen.  If  a  bird  is  actually  caught  and  kept  in  a  cage  or  put  under  restraint  in  any  way, 
its  behavior  is  no  longer  perfectly  natural  and  free,  at  least  not  until  all  fear  has  been 
subdued  and  it  is  no  longer  wild  but  tame.  What  is  needed  is  an  invisible  chain  which 
shall  hold  the  animals  to  some  fixed  and  chosen  spot  which  can  then  be  approached  in 
disguise. 

Fortunately  for  the  student  of  bird-habit  and  instinct  all  these  conditions  are  fulfilled 
for  a  most  important  and  interesting  period,  —  that  of  life  at  the  nest.  The  nest  is  the 
given  fixed  point,  and  parental  instinct  is  the  invisible  chain.  The  wild  bird,  however, 
is  bound  not  merely  to  the  nest,  but  to  its  young.  Wherever  the  young  go,  the  old  birds 
follow.  By  using  the  nearly  fledged  young  as  a  lure,  some  species  could,  I  believe,  be 
led  across  country  for  a  mile  or  more.  I  have  taken  them  two  hundred  feet  without 
special  effort. 

Hitherto  the  bird-photographer  has  had  to  rely  mainly  upon  chance  in  getting  a 
picture  of  the  nesting  scenes.  Most  land  birds  depend  upon  concealment  for  protection 
from  their  enemies  during  the  season  of  young.  Their  nests  are  apt  to  be  shrouded 


xviii  Introduction. 

in  grass  or  foliage,  and,  if  easily  approached,  are  usually  inaccessible  to  the  camera.  If 
the  nest  is  in  a  high  bush  or  tree,  the  difficulties  of  the  position  and  light  are  usually  an 
effectual  bar  to  obtaining  good  pictures,  to  say  nothing  of  seeing  what  takes  place. 
When  the  nest  is  on  or  near  the  ground  and  in  a  well-lighted  spot,  conditions  which  are 
only  rarely  fulfilled,  it  has  been  customary  to  set  up  the  camera,  and  attaching  a  long 
rubber  tube  or  thread  to  the  shutter,  to  retire  to  a  distance  and  wait  for  the  birds  to 
appear.  When  one  of  them  is  seen  to  go  to  the  nest,  the  plate  is  exposed  by  pulling  the 
thread  or  pressing  the  pneumatic  bulb,  and,  if  in  luck,  a  picture  may  thus  be  obtained. 
Many  plates,  however,  are  sure  to  be  spoiled  ;  little  can  be  seen,  and  the  observer  has  no 
control  over  the  course  of  events.  In  the  pages  which  follow,  a  method  is  described  by 
which  nesting  birds  can,  in  many  cases,  be  successfully  approached  and  studied  with  ease 
whatever  the  position  of  the  nest. 

It  is  a  comparatively  easy  matter  to  examine  and  photograph  the  nest,  the  eggs,  or 
the  young  of  such  species  whose  dwellings  are  accessible  to  all,  but  to  portray  the  free 
behavior  of  the  adult  bird  of  the  shy  land  species  is  quite  another  question. 

The  method  is  limited  in  its  application  from  the  necessities  of  the  case.  It  is  based 
on  the  solid  ground  of  animal  instinct,  and  may  confidently  be  expected  to  have  a  wide 
application  ;  but  how  wide  or  general  its  use  may  become  can  only  be  determined  by 
well-directed  experiment. 


III. 

Nearly  all  the  illustrations  of  this  volume  are  from  photographs  of  adult  land  birds, 
and  the  reader  will  observe  that  they  afe  in  many  cases  arranged  in  series,  and  portray 
certain  actions  which  are  performed  in  a  kind  of  routine.  With  very  few  exceptions  all 
were  made  by  means  of  the  method,  that  is  to  say,  the  photographs  were  taken  deliber- 
ately and  not  by  chance.  My  plan  was  to  watch  the  life  at  the  nest  very  closely,  hour  by 
hour,  and  day  by  day,  and  I  often  made  a  large  number  of  photographs  to  illustrate 
typical  and  unusual  scenes  at  a  nest.  The  observer  has  the  advantage  of  being  on  the 
spot,  of  being  able  to  see  every  act  performed  and  to  seize  every  opportunity  which 
may  arise.  Many  of  the  photographs  here  shown  could  not  have  been  obtained  by  any 
other  means. 

What  is  offered  now  represents  but  a  beginning  in  the  attempt  to  portray  the  whole 
life  of  birds  at  the  nest.  The  first  furrow  only  has  been  struck  in  an  old  and  still  fallow 
field.  These  pictures  will  possibly  seem  crude  when  compared  with  those  which  the 
future  will  yield,  but  there  is  this  to  be  said  about  all  really  good  photographs  of  wild 
animals,  that  they  possess  a  permanent  interest  and  value,  since  within  their  limits  they 
represent  the  truth,  vigor,  and  freshness  of  nature.  When  this  method  comes  to  be  ap- 
plied to  some  of  the  water  birds,  the  Terns,  Gulls,  and  their  congeners  along  the  coast, 
which  are  more  easily  approached  than  the  shyer  land  species,  serial  pictures  will  be 
obtained  of  far  greater  perfection  and  beauty  than  anything  which  has  yet  appeared. 

For  the  portrayal  of  animals  in  action  the  camera  is  of  supreme  value,  and  if  I  have 
emphasized  its  use,  it  is  only  as  a  means  to  an  end.  Scientific  books  dealing  with  the 
anatomy  and  development  of  animals  will  always  require  good  drawings  for  the  illustra- 


Introduction. 


XIX 


tion  of  their  subjects,  and  these  are  preferable  to  poor  photographs,  but  for  the  study  of 
animal  behavior  in  both  the  invertebrates  and  vertebrates  the  camera  is  immeasurably 
superior  to  brush  or  pencil.  Popular  natural  history  books  have  already  a  large  body  of 
invaluable  material  to  draw  upon  for  illustrative  purposes,  and  the  often  crude,  impossi- 
ble, or  imperfect  drawings,  which  have  so  long  done  service  in  the  past,  will  gradually 
give  place  to  truthful  delineations  of  animals  at  home,  and  in  the  midst  of  that  nature  of 
which  they  form  a  part. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 

ILIFORN^ 


THE  HOME  LIFE  OF  WILD  BIRDS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  NEW  METHOD  OF  BIRD  STUDY  AND  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

THE  method  of  studying  the  habits  of  wild  birds  which  this  volume  illustrates  con- 
sists in  bringing  the  birds  to  you  and  then  camping  beside  them,  in  watching 
their  behavior  at  arm's  length  and  in  recording  with  the  camera  their  varied 
activities.  By  means  of  such  a  method  one  may  live  with  the  birds  for  days  at  a  time, 
and  watch  the  play  of  their  most  interesting  habits  and  instincts.  The  actors  are  not  con- 
fined in  cages ;  they  suffer  indeed  no  restraint,  excepting  that  only  which  their  nature 
imposes.  They  come  and  go  at  will,  and  their  life  is  as  free  and  untrammeled  as  ever. 

The  method  enables  one  to  see  with  his  own  eyes  at  a  distance  of  a  few  inches  or 
feet,  more  or  less,  what  birds  do  in  and  about  their  nests,  and  at  the  same  time  affords 
the  rare  opportunity  of  making  photographs,  not  a  single  picture  or  a  chance  shot  now 
and  then,  but  an  unlimited  series  of  pictures  to  illustrate  the  behavior  of  birds  in  the  full- 
est manner  and  at  the  most  interesting  period  of  their  lives.  It  is  often  an  easy  matter 
to  focus  your  camera  directly  upon  the  bird  itself  and  to  give  a  time  exposure  when 
desired.  Moreover,  you  can  approach  as  near  as  you  wish,  and  make  photographs  of  any 
required  size. 

I  will  now  give  the  reader  a  less  enigmatical  account  of  the  method,  first  considering 
its  psychological  basis  or  the  scientific  principles  on  which  it  rests,  and  then  recording  in 
a  separate  chapter,  as  practical  examples  of  its  working,  the  exact  history  of  a  few  of  the 
cases  in  which  it  has  been  applied. 

The  method  in  use  depends  mainly  upon  two  conditions : 

(1)  The  control  of  the  nesting  site,  and 

(2)  The  concealment  of  the  observer. 

By  nesting  site  is  meant  the*  nest  and  its  immediate  surroundings,  such  as  a  twig, 
branch,  hollow  trunk,  stem,  or  whatever  part  of  a  tree  the  nest  may  occupy,  a  bush,  stub, 
strip  of  sod,  or  tussock  of  sedge,  that  is  —  the  nest  with  its  immediate 
settings.     If  the  nest,  like  that  of  an  Oriole,  is  fastened  to  the  leafy          Nesting  Site 
branch  of  a  tree,  the  nesting  bough  is  cut  off,  and  the  whole  is  then  care- 
fully lowered  to  the  ground  and  set  up  in  a  good  light,  so  that  the  branch  with  the  nest 
shall  occupy  the  same  relative  positions  which  they  did  before.     The  nest,  however,  is 
now  but  four  instead  of  forty  or  more  feet  from  the  ground. 


Wild  Birds. 


The  nesting  bough  is  carried  to  a  convenient  distance  from  the  tree,  and  firmly 
fastened  to  two  stakes,  driven  into  the  ground  and  placed  in  a  good  light.  If  the  nest  is 
in  a  tussock  in  a  shaded  swamp,  the  whole  is  cut  out  and  taken  to  the  nearest  well- 
lighted  place ;  if  in  the  woods,  it  is  carried  to  a  clearing  where  the  light  is  favorable  for 
study.  Again,  when  a  nest  like  that  of  the  Brown  Thrush  occupies  the  center  of  a  dense 
thorn  bush  which  no  human  eye  can  penetrate  and  much  less  that  of  the  camera,  its  main 
supports  are  cut  off,  and  the  essential  parts  are  removed  to  the  outside  of  the  clump  or  to 
any  favorable  point  close  at  hand.  If  the  nest  is  but  five  or  ten  feet  up,  the  main  stem  is 

severed,  and  the  nesting  branch 
lowered  to  the  four-foot  mark, 
a  convenient  working  height. 

I  wish  to  emphasize  the 
fact  that  the  nest  itself  is  usually 
not  moved  or  disturbed,  or  rath- 
er that  it  is  moved  only  with 
its  supports.  The  change  is 
one  of  space  relations,  which 
may  change  with  every  pass- 
ing breeze,  but  the  relation  of 
nest  to  support  remains  undis- 
turbed. 

This  sudden  displacement 
of  the  nesting  bough  is  of  no 
special  importance  to  either  old 
or  young,  provided  certain  pre- 
cautions are  taken  to  be  dwelt 
upon  a  little  later.  It  is  as  if  an 
apartment  or  living  room  were 
removed  from  the  fourth  story 
of  some  human  abode  to  the 
ground  floor,  or  in  the  case  of 
the  ground  building  birds  as  if 
the  first  story  were  raised  to 


Pig.  i.     Tent  in  front  of  Cedar-bird's  nest,  shown  in  its  original  position 
in  Fig.  12.     One  of  the  birds  is  feeding  its  young. 


a  level  with  the  second.  The 
immediate  surroundings  of  the 
nest  remain  the  same  in  any  case.  The  nest  might  indeed  be  taken  from  its  bough  or 
from  the  sward,  but  this  would  be  inadvisable,  chiefly  because  it  would  destroy  the  na- 
tural site  or  the  exact  conditions  selected  and  in  some  measure  determined  by  the  birds 
themselves. 

For  an  observatory  I  have  adopted  a  green  tent  which  effectually  conceals  the  student 
together  with  his  camera  and  entire  outfit.     The  reader  will  find  this  fully  described  in 

the  chapter  on  the  tools  of  the  bird-photographer.     The  tent  is  pitched 
Concealment  of        ,       .  ,      *,  ,       ,  .          .  r  .  .    . 

the  Observer  beside   the    nest,  and  when  in  operation,  is  open   only  at  one  point, 

marked  by  a  small  square  window,  in  line  with  the  photographic  lens 
and  the  nest. 


A  New  Method  of  Bird  Study  and  Photography.  3 

It  seems  at  first  thought  strange  and  almost  incredible  that  one  may  take  such 
liberties  with  wild  birds,  without  wreaking  destruction  upon  the  young  or  introducing 
such  unnatural  conditions  as  would  be  intolerable  to  every  true  student  Principles  which 
and  lover  of  birds,  but  this  is  by  no  means  the  case.  No  injury  is  underlie  the 

wrought  upon  old  or  young.  The  former  nesting  conditions  are  soon  Method, 

forgotten,  while  the  new  are  quickly  adopted  and  defended  with  all  the  boldness  and 
persistence  of  which  birds  are  capable. 

This  method  of  studying  birds  depends  mainly  upon  the  strength  of  the  parental  in- 
stincts which  bind  old  to  young  by  an  invisible  chain,  and  upon  the  ease  with  which  a 
bird  learns  to  adapt  itself  to  new  conditions.  Upon  more  complete  analysis  we  recognize 
the  following  psychological  principles  : 

(a)  The  strength  of  an  instinct  increases  through  exercise,  and  may  be  reenforced  by 
habit  ; 

(b)  An  instinctive  impulse  may  be  blocked  or  suppressed  by  any  contrary  impulse ; 

(c)  The   instinct  of   fear  is  often  temporarily  suppressed  by  the  fighting  instinct,  or 
permanently  overcome  by  the  repetition  of  any  experience  leading  to  the  formation  of 
new  habits  or  associations. 

We  may  also  add  : 

(d)  New  habits  are  readily  formed  and  reenforce  or  supplant  those  of  older  growth  ; 

(e)  Abstract  ideas,  if  they  form  any  part  of  the  furniture  of  the  average  bird-mind,  are 
extremely  hazy  and  fleeting  ; 

(f)  Finally  we  must  recall  the  physiological  fact  that  birds  are  guided  in  most  of  their 
operations  by  sight  and  hearing,  not  by  scent.     Their  olfactory  organ  is  very  rudimentary 
at  best,  and  avails  them  neither  in  finding  food,  nor  in  avoiding  enemies. 

After  a  brief  analysis  of  the  parental  instincts  we  will  endeavor  to  show  how  the 
principles  just  given  are  applied  to  the  problem  of  approaching  wild  birds  in  the  way 
described. 

The  parental  instincts  begin  to  control  the  life  of  the  adult  with  the  periodic  revival 
of  the  reproductive  functions,  and  vary  greatly  in  their  scope  and  intensity  at  the  different 
stages  of  their  reign  as  well  as  in  different  species  of  birds.  They  afe  periodic,  recurring 
at  definite  intervals  during  sexual  life  and  in  serial  form,  one  kind  of  act  usually  leading 
to  the  next  in  sequence,  and  so  on  until  the  series  is  complete. 

When  more  than  one  litter  is  produced  in  a  season,  the  series  of  events  is  repeated 
with  minor  changes  If  we  include  the  typical  migratory  movements,  the  principal  terms 
of  the  reproductive  cycle  may  be  expressed  more  fully  as  follows : 

(1)  Spring  migration  of  the  summer  residents  to  the  place  of  birth  ; 

(2)  Mating; 

(3)  Selection  of  nesting  site  and  construction  of  the  nest ; 

(4)  Egg-laying: 

(5)  Incubation  ; 

(6)  Care  of  the  young  in  the  nest,  including  feeding,  and  cleaning  nest  and  young; 

(7)  Care  and  education  of  young  from  time  of  flight ; 

(8)  Fall  migration  to  winter  quarters. 

Birds  seem  to  follow  one  line  of  conduct,  whether  it  be  sitting  over  the  eggs,  brood- 
ing, or  tending  the  young,  until  their  instinct  in  that  particular  direction  has  been  satisfied, 


Wild  Birds. 


thus  normally  completing  one  term  of  the  series  before  passing  to  the  next  in  sequence. 

The  machinery,  however,  rarely  works  with  absolute  precision.     Perturbations  are  sure  to 

_.  - arise  whenever    a    contrary  impulse 

comes  into  the  field,  and  either  blocks 
the  path  or  struggles  for  supremacy. 
The  surge  of  parental  feeling  is 
often  marked  by  an  inbred  pugnacity, 
which  begins  to  show  itself  in  certain 
species  at  the  very  beginning  of  the 
breeding  season.  This  fighting  mood, 
which  is  an  adaptation  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  home  and  all  that  it  con- 
tains, is  by  no  means  a  measure  of 
the  other  parental  impulses.  It  has 
a  gradual  rise,  reaches  a  maximum 
when  the  young  are  ready  to  leave  the 
nest,  at  a  time  when  protection  is 
most  needed,  and  then  gradually  sub- 
sides. 

When  a  pair  are  robbed  during 
the  breeding  season,  or  in  any  way 
disturbed  in  mind  or  property,  three 
courses  are  open  to  them,  either  to 
desert  and  begin  operations  anew, 
to  stay  by  the  nest  and  save  what  is 
left,  or,  having  done  this,  to  fill  up 
the  gap  by  laying  more  eggs.  The 

course  eventually   followed   depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  bird,  or  upon  the  relative 

strength  of  fear,  the  parental  instincts,  and  habit. 

The  parental  instinct,1  reenforced  by  habit,  gradually  increases  until  the  young  are 

reared.     It  is  therefore  safest  to  change  the  nesting  surroundings  when  this  instinct  is 

approaching  its  culmination. 

The  general  feeling  of  fear  is  gradually  or  quickly  suppressed  according  to  the  value 

of  the  different  factors  in  the  equation,  by  the  parental  instinct,  which  impels  a  bird  at  all 

hazards  to  go  to  its  young  wherever  placed.     This  impulse  though  it  be  weak  at  first, 

is  strengthened  by  exercise,  or  what  amounts  to  the  same  thing, —  by  the  growth  of 

habits  or  associations. 

After  a  bird  once  visits  the  nest  in  its  new  position,  it  returns  again  and  again,  and 

in  proportion  as  its  visits  to  the  old  nesting  place  diminish  and  finally  cease,  its  approaches 

to  the  new  position  become  more  frequent,  until  a  new  habit  has  been  formed,  or  if  you 

will,  until  the  old  habit  is  reinstated. 

When  the  birds  approach  the  nest  any  strange  objects  like  the  stakes  which  support 

the  bough,  or  the  tent  which  is  pitched  beside  it  arouse  their  sense  of  fear  or  suspicion, 

1  This  phrase  is  sometimes  used  for  the  sake  of  brevity  and  convenience  in  nearly  the  same  sense  as  parental 
attachment  or  parental  love. 


Fig.   2.       Tent  in  bushy  pasture  beside  nest  of  Chestnut-sided 
Warbler,  shown  in  detail  in  Fig.  3. 


A  New  Method  of  Bird  Study  and  Photography. 


and  they  may  keep  away  for  a  time  or  advance  with  caution.     If  very  shy,  like  most  Cat- 
birds, they  will  sometimes  skirmish  about  the  tent  for  two  hours  or  more  before  touching 
the  nest.     The  ice  is  usually  broken 
however  in  from  twenty  minutes  to 
an  hour,  and  I  have  known  a  Chip- 
ping Sparrow  and  Red-eyed  Vireo  to 
feed    their   young  in  three  minutes 
after  the  tent  was  in  place. 

At  every  approach  to  the  nest 
in  its  new  position,  the  birds  see  the 
same  objects  which  work  them  no  ill. 
The  tent  stands  silent  and  motion- 
less, unless  it  happens  to  be  windy, 
but  the  young  are  close  by,  and  fear 
of  the  new  objects  gradually  wears 
away.  Parental  instinct,  or  in  this 
case  maternal  love,  for  the  instinct 
to  cherish  the  young  is  usually 
stronger  in  the  mother,  wins  the  day. 
The  mother  bird  comes  to  the  nest 
and  feeds  her  clamoring  brood.  The 
spell  is  broken  ;  she  comes  again. 
The  male  also  approaches,  and  their 
visits  are  thereafter  repeated. 

Possibly  the  fears  of  the  old 
birds  are  renewed  at  sight  of  the  win- 
dow which  is  now  opened  in  the  tent- 
front,  and  of  the  glass  eye  of  the 
camera  gleaming  through  it,  but  the 
lens  is  also  silent  and  motionless,  and 
soon  becomes  a  familiar  object  to  be 
finally  disregarded.  Again  there  is 
the  fear  which  the  sound  of  the  shut- 
ter, a  sharp  metallic  click,  at  first  in- 
spires, unless  you  are  the  fortunate  possessor  of  an  absolutely  silent  and  rapid  shut- 
ter, an  instrument  which  is  unknown  to  the  trade,  at  least  in  this  country.  At  its  first 
report  when  two  feet  away,  many  a  bird  will  jump  as  if  shot,  give  an  angry  scream, 
and  even  fly  at  the  tent  as  if  to  exorcise  an  evil  spirit,  while  after  a  few  hours,  or  on  the 
second  day,  they  will  only  wince ;  finally  they  will  not  budge  a  feather  at  this  or  any 
other  often  repeated  sound,  whether  from  shutter,  steam  whistle,  locomotive,  or  the  human 
voice.  This  illustrates  the  effect  of  the  alarm  clock  over  again.  At  our  first  experience 
with  this  nerve-wracking  machine,  we  start  from  deep  sleep  and  promptly  heed  its  sum- 
mons ;  then  we  are  apt  to  mind  it  less  and  less  until  we  sleep  on  serenely  in  spite  of  it. 
If  we  were  to  place  an  alarm  clock  on  or  near  the  nesting  bough,  and  let  it  off  at  regular 
but  not  too  frequent  intervals,  the  birds  would  soon  learn  to  disregard  it  as  we  do,  and  as 
some  of  them  disregard  the  babel  of  a  city  street. 


Fig.  3.     Tent  beside  nest  of  Chestnut-sided  Warbler, 
broods,  while  the  male  is  foraging. 


The  female 


Wild  Birds. 


It  is  the  young,  the  young,  always  THE  YOUNG  in  whom  the  interest  of  the  old  birds 
is  centered,  and  about  whom  their  lives  revolve.  They  are  the  strong  lure,  the  talisman, 

the  magnet  to  which  the 
parent  is  irresistibly 
drawn.  The  tree,  the 
branch,  the  nest  itself, 
what  are  these  in  compari- 
son with  the  young  for 
whom  alone  they  exist  ? 

With  some  species  it 
is  possible  to  make  the 
necessary  change  without 
evil  consequences  when 
there  are  eggs  in  the  nest ; 
with  others  we  must  wait 
until  the  young  are  from 

When  to  four  to  nine  daYs 
Change  old.  It  is  all  a 
the  Nest- question  of  the 
ing  Site.  strength  of  the 

parental  instinct,  and  this 
varies  between  wide  limits 
in  different  species,  and 
very  considerably  between 
different  individuals.  From 
the  nature  of  the  case 
there  can  be  no  infallible 
rule.  If  we  know  little  of 
the  habits  of  the  birds  in 
question  it  is  safest  to  wait 
until  the  seventh  to  the 
ninth  day  after  the  young 
are  hatched,  or  when  in 
many  passerine  birds,  as 

Robins,  Orioles,  and  Waxwings,  the  feather-shafts  of  the  wing-quills  begin  to  appear  in 
the  young,  or  better  when  they  project  from  one  quarter  to  one  half  inch  beyond  the  feather 
tubes.  At  this  period  the  parental  instinct  is  reaching  its  maximum,  and,  what  is  equally 
important,  the  sense  of  fear  has  not  appeared  in  the  young. 

When  we  try  to  formulate  a  rule,  however,  we  at  once  encounter  numerous  excep- 
tions. Thus  in  Cuckoos  the  feathers  do  not  shed  their  envelopes  gradually  as  in  most 
birds,  but  remain  sheathed  up  to  the  last  day  in  the  nest.  Of  greater  importance  is  the 
understanding  of  the  principles  involved,  and  with  these  in  mind  and  judiciously  applied 
very  few  mistakes  should  be  made. 

At  the  beginning  of  observations  a  nest  with  eggs  should  be  watched,  but  not  dis- 
turbed. When  the  period  of  incubation  has  been  determined,  and  the  time  of  hatching 


Fig.  4.  Truncated  elm  with  nest-holes  of  Woodpecker,  the  lowermost  re- 
cently occupied  by  Bluebirds.  To  bring  down  the  nest,  the  trunk  may  be  cut 
from  below  or  in  line  with  arrow. 


A  New  Method  of  Bird  Study  and  Photography. 


known,  the  young  may  be  examined  and  photographed  if  it  is  desired.     At  all  events 
they   should  be    watched  until  the  critical  time  arises  for  closer  study.  Mode  of 

This  decided  upon  in  the  manner  already  suggested,  circumstances  must  Procedure, 

determine  the  course  to  be  followed. 

If  the  nest,  like  that  of  a  Robin  or  Kingbird,  is  saddled  to  the  branch  of  a  tree,  saw 
off  the  whole  limb  and  nail  it  to  stakes  driven  into  the  ground,  so  placed  as  always  to  give 
the  best  light.  The  nesting  bough,  in  case  there  is  one,  should  be  set  with  its  long  axis 
parallel  with  the  course  of  the  sun,  but  the  position  of  the  bough  or  tent  may  be  changed 
during  the  day  when  exceptional  conditions  render  it  necessary. 

Either  a  dark  foliage  or  a  sky  background  may  be  chosen  for  the  nest,  according  to 
the  desire  of  the  operator  or  the  possibilities  of  the  situation.  If  not  satisfied  with  a 
natural  background  it  would  be  possible  to  place  dark  or  light  screens  behind  the  nesting 
bough  or  to  use  reflected 
light  for  softening  the  shad- 
ows, but  no  experiments 
have  yet  been  made  in  this 
direction.  The  tent  is  then 
to  be  placed  in  position,  or 
it  may  be  pitched  and  left 
overnight  beside  the  nest.1 
In  other  words,  operations 
may  begin  at  once  or  be 
postponed  until  the  follow- 
ing day,  the  better  plan  for 
a  beginner  until  he  has 
mastered  minor  difficulties, 
which,  though  small  in 
themselves,  are  far  from  un- 
important. When  the  tent 
is  closed  absolute  silence 
must  be  maintained,  for 
while  this  is  not  always 
necessary,  it  is  the  best  rule 
to  follow  during  the  first 
days  of  observation. 

The  best  time  to  begin 
is  from  eight  to  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  because  the 
young  will  then  have  been 
fed,  and  the  sun  will  be 
getting  high  enough  for 
the  most  rapid  photograph- 
ic work.  One  may  spend 
as  many  hours  a  day,  and  as  many  days  at  one  nest,  as  time  permits  or  inclination  decides. 

1  Directions  for  use  of  the  tent  are  given  in  Chapter  III. 


Fig.  5.  Nest-hole  of  Flicker,  used  by  Bluebird.  Trunk  removed  from  tree, 
and  mounted  on  pivot  so  that  it  can  be  turned  to  any  angle  with  sun.  See 
No.  15  of  table,  p.  12,  Fig.  10,  and  Chapter  VII. 


Wild  Birds. 


Precautions 
to  be 
Observed. 


I  will  only  suggest  that  the  second  day  is  always  better  than  the  first,  and  that  the  third 
or  fourth  is  always  sure  to  bring  something  new.  If  one  would  learn  the  nesting  habits 
of  any  species  thoroughly,  it  will  hardly  do  to  rely  upon  one  nest.  The  more  you  see  of 
different  nests  and  different  birds  the  better. 

I  usually  spend  five  or  six  hours  in  the  tent,  from  nine  in  the  morning  until  three  in 
the  afternoon,  when  the  weather  is  fine.     If  the  camping  ground  is  near  my  house,  as  it 

usually  is,  I  leave  the  tent  for 
half  an  hour  at  noon,  but  if 
it  is  far,  I  carry  a  lunch  and 
spend  the  day.  When  possi- 
ble, I  am  always  on  hand  dur- 
ing the  last  day  of  life  at  the 
nest,  to  see  the  young  leave 
it,  usually  one  at  a  time,  and 
to  witness  the  manoeuvres 
of  the  parents  in  conducting 
them  to  the  nearest  trees. 

Young  birds  from  one  to 
five    days   old    cannot,   as  a 
rule,  stand  exces- 
sive heat.     Even 
when      fed     and 
brooded  they  will 
sometimes  succumb,  and  here 
lies  the  serious  danger  to  be 
guarded  against.     A  nest  of 
very  young  birds  well  shaded 
by  foliage   cannot  be  safely 
carried  into  the   direct   sun- 
shine of  a  hot  summer's  day, 
hence  the  importance  of  be- 
ginning   operations    at    the 
proper  time  when  the  weath- 
er is  suitable,  and  further  of 
not  allowing  your  enthusiasm 
to   get   the    better    of    your 
judgment. 

The  morning  of  a  clear,  mild  day  is  preferable,  but  since  we  cannot  order  the  weather, 
it  is  better  to  leave  the  birds  to  themselves,  if  it  promises  to  be  excessively  hot  or  windy. 
The  young  may  be  fed  or  handled  as  much  as  one  wishes,  provided  they  have  not 
acquired  the  instinct  of  fear.  If  you  are  uncertain  as  to  this  and  your  aim  is  to  study  the 
nesting  habits,  it  is  better  to  avoid  approaching,  touching,  or  in  any  way  disturbing  the 
young  after  the  flight  feathers  have  appeared.  The  cutting  of  leaves  or  twigs  which 
obstruct  the  light  or  cast  undesirable  shadows  should  be  done  before  this  time. 

On  the  other  hand,  investigations  of  the  young  which  require  accurate  weighing, 


Fig.  6.  Nesting  bough  of  Kingbird  removed  from  apple  tree  in  background 
at  a  point  where  extended  arrows  meet,  and  fixed  to  upright  stakes.  Tent- 
cloth  thrown  over  frame  which  is  set  in  position. 


Fig.  7.     Female  Kingbird  astride  nest,  protecting  young  from  heat.      This  and  the  following 
from  photographs  made  at  nest  shown  on  facing  page. 


Fig.  8.      Kingbird  family.     The  male  with  grasshopper  in  bill,— his  mate,  partly  hidden, 
behind  him. 


A  New  Method  of  Bird  Study  and  Photography. 


1 1 


measurements,  or  photographs  of  the  birds  themselves,  place  the  matter  in  a  different 
light.  With  these  objects  in  view  the  nest  must  be  frequently  approached  and  the  young 
taken  out,  and  for  such  studies  the  change  of  the  nesting  site  offers  such  obvious  advan- 
tages that  it  is  needless  to  dwell  upon  them.  In  taking  down  the  nesting  bough  it  is 
often  necessary  to  touch  the  nest,  and  this  does  no  harm. 

Young  birds  eight  or  nine  days  old  stand  the  heat  well,  provided  they  are  fed,  but  on 
very  hot  days  they  should 
not  be  allowed  to  go  with- 
out food  for  more  than 
two  hours  at  the  longest. 
Should  the  parents  bring 
no  food  during  this  time,  it 
is  better  to  feed  the  young 
in  the  nest,  and  to  suspend 
operations  until  the  next 
day. 

As  has  been  already 
said,  the  old  birds  may  be 
expected  to  come  to  the 
nest  in  from  twenty  min- 
utes to  an  hour,  when  the 
tent  is  brought  into  imme- 
diate use  after  removal  of 
the  nesting  bough.  It  is 
naturally  impossible  to 
predict  exactly  what  will 
happen  in  any  given  case 
until  the  experiment  is 
tried,  since  the  personal 
equation  or  individuality 
of  the  birds  themselves  is 
an  unknown  and  variable 
factor.  One  thing  only  is 
certain,  that  the  parental 
instincts,  reenforced  by 
habit,  will  win  in  the  end, 
that  they  will  cast  out  fear, 
and  draw  the  birds  to  their 
young. 

I  have  used  the  tent  and  altered  the  nesting  site  in  the  case  of  twenty-six  nests 
belonging  to  fifteen  different  species  of  birds.  The  experiments  were  Extent  of  Appli- 
made  in  the  course  of  two  seasons,  and  the  entire  list  is  tabulated  as  cation  of  the 
follows,  the  age  of  the  young  in  most  cases  being  only  approximately  Method, 

accurate  : — 


Fig.  9.  Cedar-bird  at  nest  shown  in  Figs.  I,  la,  and  13,  prepared  to  feed  young 
by  regurgitation  :  a  characteristic  attitude.  The  parallel  outlines  of  the  neck 
show  that  the  gullet  is  full. 


12 


Wild  Birds. 


EXPERIMENTS   IN   THE   USE   OF   THE   OBSERVATION   TENT  AND   IN  CHANGE   OF   NESTING 

SITE. 


BIRDS  AND  NESTS. 

TIME. 

NUMBER 

OF 

YOUNG. 

AGE 

OF 

YOUNG. 

I 

Redwing  Blackbird  (Nest  undisturbed)  

Tulv  14    1800 

-j 

ii  days 

2 

Redwing  Blackbird  (Nest  swayed  down  one  foot).  .  . 
Catbird  (Nest  undisturbed)  .   

July  19,  1900 
Tulv  21.  1800 

3 

2 

5  days. 
8  days 

A 

Catbird  (Position  of  nest  unchanged)  

Tulv  26.  1800 

•3 

•?—  4  davs 

C 

Catbird  (Nesting  bough  displaced  ten  feet)  

Aug.    4.  1800 

7 

7-8  days 

6 

Catbird  (Nest  undisturbed)  

June  21,  1900 

A 

7  davs 

7 

Cedar-bird  (Nesting  bush  moved  twenty  feet)  

Aue     ^    1800 

A 

9—10  days 

8 

9 
10 
ii 

12 

Cedar-bird  (Nesting  bough  displaced  forty  feet).  .  .  . 
Cedar-bird  (Nestingbough  cutoff  andmoved  fifty  feet) 
Cedar-bird  (Nest  in  pine  tree  ;  bough  moved  fifty  feet). 
Red-eyed  Vireo  (Nesting  twig  lowered  one  foot)  .... 
Red-eyed  Vireo  (Nesting  tree  cut  down  and  taken 
from  woods  forty  feet  to  open)  

Aug.  21,  1899 
Aug.  23,  1899 
July  14,  1900 
Aug.    3,  1899 

Tulv    ^    IQOO 

4 

2 

4 

2 
A 

6  days. 
10  days. 
7-8  days. 
8  days. 

Q  davs 

13 

14 

Robin  (Nesting  bough  cut  off  and  moved  thirty  feet). 
Robin  (Nest  in  oak  thirty  feet  up  ;  branch  moved  to 
open  field  sixty  feet  away)  

Aug.    9,  1899 

Tulv   2S.    IQOO 

3 

7 

7  days. 
6  days 

J5 

Bluebird  (Nest-hole  in  apple  tree  ;  moved  fifty  feet  to 
open  field  

Aue.  in.  1800 

A 

s  days. 

16 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler  (Bushes  cleared  in  front  of 
nest)  

June  15,  1900 

4  eees 

17 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler  (Bushes  cleared  in  front  of 
nest)  

June  28,  1900 

4 

4  days. 

18 

Night  Hawk  (Nesting  site  with  young  enclosed  with 
wattled  twigs)  

Tune  20   IQOO 

i 

n  davs 

!9 

Baltimore    Oriole    (Nesting    branch    in    apple    tree  ; 
moved  twenty-five  feet)  

Tune  2$   IQOO 

•\ 

8—  Q  davs. 

20 

Kingbird  (Nesting  branch  moved  twenty  feet)  

Tulv    2.  IQOO 

2 

6  days. 

21 

22 

Kingbird  (Nesting  branch  moved  twenty-five  feet)..  . 
Wilson's  Thrush  (Nest  in  tussock  ;  whole  moved  from 
swamp  to  open  fifty  feet)  

July    2,  1900 
Tulv    Q.  IQOO 

4 
7 

7  days. 
10  days. 

23 
24 

25 

Chipping  Sparrow  (Nesting  bough  moved  twenty  feet). 
Brown  Thrush  (Nest  in  thorn  bush;  movedfif  teen  feet). 
Song  Sparrow  (Nest  in  dead  sapling  ;  moved  forty  feet 
to  open)  

July  1  1,  1900 
July  n,  1900 

Tulv  17.  IQOO 

4 
3 

T. 

4-5  days. 
4  days. 

<  days. 

->6 

Kingfisher  (Nest  in  bank  ;  opened  at  rear)  

fulv   2"?.    IQOO 

C 

Q  davs. 

In  only  three  cases  where  the  nest  with  its  supports  was  moved  did  the  young  suffer, 
and  in  each  of  these  from  unusual  conditions.  A  nest  of  Cedar  Waxwings  (8)  though  fed 
by  both  birds  and  brooded  almost  constantly,  succumbed  to  the  heat,  the  day  being  one 
of  the  hardest  of  the  entire  summer.  The  second,  a  nest  of  Bluebirds  (15),  were  constantly 
fed  during  the  day  while  I  watched  them,  but  the  old  birds  were  frightened  off  at  some 
later  time,  and  their  young  left  to  perish.  The  third,  a  nest  of  Song  Sparrows  (25),  also 
came  to  grief  on  account  of  the  heat.  The  day  was  the  hottest  ever  recorded  by  the 
Weather  Bureau  in  New  England,  and  the  nest,  which  was  moved  to  the  open,  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  crotch  of  a  dead  sapling,  so  that  the  birds  were  exposed  on  all  sides. 


A  New  Method  of  Bird  Study  and  Photography. 


In  one  or  two  instances  I  had  serious  trouble  from  cutting  away  too  much  foliage  about 
a  nest  in  very  hot  weather,  but  such  accidents  are  really  needless,  if  one  follows  the  rule 
of  leaving  the  birds  to  their  own  devices  on  days  of  excessive  heat  and  humidity.  In  all 
the  other  cases,  everything  went  well,  and  the  young  left  the  nest  in  due  course. 

Kingbirds  have  remained  in  the 
nest  eleven  days  after  the  change, 
Robins  a  week,  Cedar-birds  six  days. 
A  glance  at  the  table  will  show  that 
in  one  instance,  that  of  the  Chestnut- 
sided  Warbler  (16),  observations  were 
begun  while  there  were  eggs,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  in  many  species 
the  whole  period  of  life  in  the  nest 
from  hatching  to  the  time  of  flight 
may  be  watched  from  the  tent,  but 
the  subject  is  yet  open  to  experiment. 
It  is  all  a  question  of  the  strength  of 
the  parental  instincts  at  the  period 
in  question.  Where  this  attachment 
to  nest  and  eggs  is  strong  as  in  Owls, 
Fish  Hawks,  Flickers,  Kingbirds, 
and  the  Chipping  Sparrows,  to  men- 
tion  a  few  cases,  we  may  look  for 
success. 

I  am  confident  that  the  movable 
tent  has  a  great  future  as  an  obser- 
vatory for  the  study  of  bird-habit,  and 
that  it  will  be  possible  to  watch  the 
building  of  the  nest  in  such  species  as 
have  a  strong  attachment  to  chosen 

sites,  and  whose  plans  are  not  easily  disturbed  by  trifles.  Here  is  certainly  a  fallow  field 
which  has  been  scratched  only  here  and  there  by  the  plow,  and  where  attempts  to  culti- 
vate it  fail,  no  harm  is  done.  In  making  experiments  in  this  direction  care  should  be 
taken  not  to  approach  too  near  with  the  tent,  at  least  on  the  first  day.  Again  it  is  pro- 
bable that  many  kinds  of  birds  may  be  attracted  by  food  and  other  lures,  but  the  possible 
rewards  of  sedentary  experiments  in  this  direction  are  too  uncertain  to  arouse  much  en- 
thusiasm in  the  mind  of  the  active  bird  student. 

I  have  no  desire  to  anticipate  every  objection  which  might  be  raised  against  the 
method,  were  it  possible  to  do  so,  but  after  testing  it  to  the  best  of  my  ability  with  the 

opportunities  of  two  summers,  I  am  confident  of  its  value  and  am  ready 
.......  T     •    i        ,1  •    "  M. 

to  stand  sponsor  for  it  in  judicious  hands.     It  is  hardly  necessary  to  insist 

that  it  is  not  designed  for  exhibition  purposes,  and  that  its  successful 
practice  requires  some  knowledge,  with  more  patience  and  time. 

To  the  trained  naturalist  patience  has  long  ceased  to  be  a  virtue.     He  is  accustomed 


Fig.  10.      Female  Bluebird  with  cricket  in  bill,   ready  to  enter 
nest-hole.     See  Fig.  5. 


Objections  to 


Wild  Birds. 


to  work  in  the  field  or  laboratory  for  weeks  or  months  to  attain  a  well-defined  end,  and 

that  end  he  will  attain,  provided  it  can  be  compassed  by  intelligence,  industry,  and  skill. 

Patience  is  the  naturalist's  stock  in  trade,  and  while  no  success  may  come  because  of 

it  alone,  none  can  be  assured  without  it. 

In  the  ten  days  or  two 
weeks  or  more  of  life  at 
the  nest  events  move  rap- 
idly and  the  question  of 
time  is  important.  Any 
interruptions  are  therefore 
opportunities  for  the  dis- 
play of  patience  rather 
than  for  the  increase  of 
knowledge. 

We  have  already  seen 
that  the  displacement  of 
the  nest  or  nesting  branch 
does  not  introduce  unnat- 
ural conditions  of  any  im- 
portance into  the  life  of 
the  birds.  Of  course  every 
change  wrought  by  man  is 
in  a  certain  sense  unnatu- 
ral. If  we  pluck  a  single 
leaf  from  a  tree,  that  tree 
is  no  longer  in  its  natural 
state,  but  the  change 
counts  for  nothing.  If  we 
keep  on  plucking  leaves, 
however,  a  time  will  come 
when  the  arm  of  the  bal- 
ance is  disturbed,  and  the 
denuded  tree  is  sure  to 

Fig.  it.      Female  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  shielding  the  young  on  a  warm  day. 
Photographed  from  tent  shown  in  Figs.  2  and  3.  Suffer.       The  removal    of    a 

leaf  or  twig  about  a  nest 

is  of  no  practical  consequence,  but  this  should  not  be  carried  too  far,  both  on  account  of 
the  young  which  need  the  protection  of  shade,  and  for  the  sake  of  natural  appearances 
which  we  wish  to  preserve. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  when  a  branch  is  lopped  off,  its  foliage  would  at  once 
wither,  and  unduly  expose  the  nest  or  detract  from  the  artistic  value  of  a  picture.  The 
fact  is,  however,  that  there  is  commonly  enough  sap  in  a  hard  wood  bough  of  moderate 
size  to  keep  the  leaves  fresh  for  several  days,1  and  towards  the  close  of  life  at  the  nest  the 

1  When  the  nesting  branch  is  vertical  and  not  too  large,  it  can  be  easily  kept  fresh  by  placing  it  in  a  jug  or  can 
of  water  which  should  be  set  in  the  ground. 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 


A  New  Method  of  Bird  Study  and  Photography.  1 5 

young  need  no  protection  from  this  source.  As  to  this  point,  however,  the  illustrations 
in  this  book  will  speak  for  themselves. 

Evergreens  like  the  pine  and  spruce  hold  their  leaves  bright  for  a  long  time  after 
cutting,  and  in  this  respect  the  various  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  differ  greatly,  those 
with  a  hard,  close  grain  keeping  fresh  the  longer. 

As  to  any  injury  to  trees  which  the  method  may  be  supposed  to  entail,  it  is  not  worth 
considering,  since  no  valuable  tree  should  be  mutilated  without  first  obtaining  the  per- 
mission of  the  owner,  for  however  trifling  the  damage  may  appear,  his  point  of  view  is 
likely  to  be  different  from  your  own.  The  cutting  of  an  occasional  twig  or  branch,  even 
if  it  does  not  trim  the  tree,  is  not  regarded  as  an  important  event  in  this  country  at 
present.  If  every  farmer  who  owns  orchards  and  woodlands  did  his  duty,  he  would  cut  out 
more  useless  wood  in  a  year  than  a  student  of  birds  would  need  to  do  in  a  decade.  It  is 
possibly  unnecessary  to  add  that  no  one  should  set  up  a  nest  in  a  field,  and  leave  the 
trouble  of  removing  it  to  the  owner  of  the  land. 

A  more  serious  objection  is  likely  to  occur  to  the  ornithologist,  namely  the  liability 
of  exposing  the  birds  to  new  enemies.  I  feared  lest  prowling  cats  should  discover  the 
young  ones  whose  nest  and  branch  had  been  brought  down  from  the  tree  top,  and  set  up 
again  in  plain  sight  within  easy  reach  from  the  ground,  but  I  was  happily  mistaken. 
Predacious  animals  of  all  kinds  seem  to  avoid  such  nests  as  if  they  were  new  devices  to 
entrap  or  slay  them. 

As  to  the  weather,  barring  heat  which  must  be  guarded  against  in  the  way  described, 
the  nesting  bough  is  more  secure  when  fixed  firmly  to  supports  than  it  could  possibly 
have  been  before.  The  only  depredator  of  whom  I  stand  in  fear  is  the  irresponsible  or 
malicious  small  boy,  and  to  anticipate  his  possibilities  for  evil,  I  take  a  look  at  the  nest  now 
and  then  when  not  encamped  beside  it. 

When  the  nest  is  completely  exposed  and  the  weather  is  very  hot,  the  young  may  be 
tempted  to  forsake  it  a  day  or  two  earlier  than  they  would  naturally  do,  but  this  does  not 
usually  happen  and  is  not  necessarily  serious.  Some  Kingbirds,  already  referred  to,  spent 
eighteen  days  in  the  nest,  and  were  a  week  old  when  it  was  moved.  This  was  probably 
longer  than  common,  and  certainly  longer  than  necessary. 

The  tent  not  only  conceals  the  observer  but  protects  his  camera,  an  important  con- 
sideration, since  the  prolonged  action  of  the  sun  is  liable  to  spring  a  leak  in  the  bellows. 
As  to  the  portability  and  general  convenience  of  the  tent  I  shall  speak  elsewhere. 

With  notebook  in  hand  you  can  sit  in  your  tent,  and  see  and  record  everything  which 
transpires  at  the  nest,  the  mode  of  approach,  the  kind  of  food  brought,  the  varied  activi- 
ties of  the  old  and  young,  the  visits  of  intruders,  and  their  combats  with 

the  owners  of  the  nest,  the  capture  of  prey  which  sometimes  goes  on 

r     J  the  Method. 

under  your  eye.  No  better  position  could  be  chosen  for  hearing  the 
songs,  responsive  calls,  and  alarm  notes  of  the  birds.  You  can  thus  gather  materials  for 
an  exact  and  minute  history  of  life  at  the  nest,  and  of  the  behavior  of  birds  during  this 
important  period.  More  than  this,  you  can  photograph  the  birds  at  will,  under  the  most 
perfect  conditions,  recording  what  no  naturalist  has  ever  seen,  and  what  no  artist  could 
ever  hope  to  portray.  The  birds  come  and  go  close  to  your  eye,  but  unconscious  of 
being  observed. 

I  have  watched  the  Night  Hawk  feed  her  chick  with  fireflies  barely  fifteen  inches 


1 6  Wild  Birds. 

from  my  hand,  the  Kingfisher  carrying  live  fish  to  its  brood  whose  muffled  rattles  issued 
from  their  subterranean  gallery  a  few  feet  away.  When  near  enough  to  count  her  respi- 
rations accurately,  I  have  seen  the  Redwing  Blackbird  leave  her  nest  on  a  hot  day,  hop 
down  to  the  cool  water  of  the  swamp,  and  after  taking  a  sip,  bathe  in  full  view,  within 
reach  of  the  hand  ;  then,  shaking  the  water  from  her  plumage,  she  would  return  refreshed 
to  the  nest.  I  have  seen  the  male  Kingbird  come  to  his  nesting  bough  with  feathers 
drenched  from  his  midday  bath  in  the  river,  the  Orioles  flash  their  brilliant  colors  all  day 
long  before  the  eye,  and  Chestnut-sided  Warblers  become  so  tame  after  several  days  that 
the  female  would  allow  you  to  approach  and  stroke  her  back  with  the  hand. 

It  is  difficult  to  describe  the  fascination  which  this  method  of  study  affords  the 
student  of  animal  life.  New  discoveries,  or  unexpected  sights  wait  on  the  minutes,  for 
while  there  is  a  well-ordered  routine  in  the  actions  of  many  birds  the  most  charming 
pictures  occur  at  odd  moments,  and  there  is  an  endless  variety  of  detail.  It  is  like  a  suc- 
cession of  scenes  in  a  drama,  only  this  is  real  life,  not  an  imitation,  and  there  is  no  need 
of  introducing  tragedy. 

He  who  runs  may  sometimes  read  and  observe  a  few  things,  and  so  may  he  who  per- 
forms gymnastic  feats  in  the  branches  of  tall  trees  or  does  penance  in  a  hundred  other 
ways,  but  from  the  tent  one  may  read  the  life  of  the  nesting  bird  as  out  of  an  open  book. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  METHOD. 

IT  is  always  interesting  to  see  how  birds  actually  behave  when  put  to  the  test,  and  as 
illustrations  of  the  method  applied  I  have  selected  four  common  birds,  the  Cedar 
Waxwing,  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  the  Redwing  Blackbird,  and  the  Kingbird.     The 
choice  might  have  fallen,  however,  upon  any  others  in  my  list,  for  the  principles  are  in 
every  case  the  same. 

Since  the  breeding  habits  of  these  birds  will  be  described  more  fully  at  a  later  time, 
the  change  of  their  nesting  site  and  their  behavior  in  the  face  of  new  surroundings  need 
only  concern  us  for  the  present. 

On  the  third  day  of  July  a  Cedar-bird's  nest  (No.  10  of  table  on  page  12)  was  discovered 
in  an  unusually  attractive  situation.  It  was  fastened  to  the  horizontal  branch  of  a  white  pine 
about  fifteen  feet  up,  in  the  line  of  an  old  stone  wall  that  bounded  an 
open  field.  In  passing  beneath  the  tree  almost  daily  during  the  follow- 
ing week,  I  was  sure  to  find  one  of  the  old  birds,  the  female  as  I  supposed,  always  on  the 
nest  and  sitting  in  the  same  alert  attitude,  engaged  either  in  incubation  or  brooding. 
With  upstretched  neck  she  would  sit  motionless  and  silent  as  a  statue,  as  if  listening 
intently,  her  dark  eye  shining  like  a  jet  black  bead  against  the  background  of  pine 
needles.  I  was  waiting  for  the  propitious  time  to  move  this  nest  to  the  open  field.  This 
time  arrived  on  July  I4th,  when  the  heads  of  the  young  began  to  appear  over  the  rim 
of  their  nest.  The  bough  was  then  sawn  off,  carried  fifty  feet  from  the  tree,  and  set  up 
in  the  newly  mown  field,  in  an  east  to  west  line  at  a  height  of  four  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  in  such  a  way  that  the  birds  could  be  "  skyed,"  and  the  light  would  be  good  from  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  three  in  the  afternoon.  The  tent  was  then  pitched  and 
closed  ;  the  whole  operation  lasted  longer  than  usual  owing  to  some  difficulty  in  getting 
stakes  of  the  right  height.  Fifteen  minutes  is  usually  long  enough  for  this  work. 

From  peep  holes  the  old  birds  could  be  seen  in  the  nesting  tree,  and  you  began  to 
hear  their  faint  z-e-e-e-e-e-t,  in  response  to  calls  from  the  young.  In  twenty-four  minutes 
the  female  was  on  the  bough  and  fed  her  brood  with  red  bird  cherries  by  regurgitation. 
At  this  point  I  was  obliged  to  leave  the  tent  and  request  some  curious  boys  to  keep 
away,  but  the  mother  bird  was  back  in  a  moment.  In  a  short  time  the  old  birds  began 
to  alight  on  the  peak  of  the  tent,  which  was  an  observatory  for  them  as  well  as  for  the 
person  inside.  Taking  a  look  about,  they  would  drop  down  to  the  nest  only  a  step  away. 
This  was  done  more  than  ten  times  in  the  course  of  the  day.  Observations  began  at 
8.40  in  the  morning  and  closed  at  4.40,  so  that  with  an  intermission  at  noon,  they  lasted 
nearly  seven  hours  and  twenty  minutes.  During  this  interval  the  young  were  fed  with 

17 


i8 


Wild  Birds. 


wild  red  cherries,  blueberries  and  insects,  mainly  grasshoppers,  and  nearly  alto-ays  by  regur- 
gitation.     The  nest  and  young  were  regularly  cleaned,  and  the  new  conditions  seemed  to 

have  been  completely  adopt- 
ed. The  young,  whose  wing- 
quills  now  showed  half  an 
inch  of  the  feather -shaft, 
were  entirely  fearless. 

On  July  i6th,  the  second 
day  of  observation  and  the 
third  after  the  removal  of  the 
nesting  bough,  the  old  birds 
began  the  work  of  feeding  in 
exactly  twelve  minutes  after 
the  tent  was  in  place.  I  will 
add  here  that  I  have  always 
removed  the  tent  at  the  end 
of  the  day's  work,  although 
in  some  species  it  would  be 
of  undoubted  advantage  to 
leave  it  overnight.  In  a  little 
more  than  three  hours  the 
old  birds  came  to  the  nest 
eighteen  times,  bringing 
abundant  stores  of  fruit  and 
insects. 

On  July  i/th,  the  third 
day  at  this  nest,  feeding  be- 
gan in  three  minutes  after 
closure  of  the  tent.  It  was 
the  hottest  day  of  the  sum- 
mer, but  life  at  the  nest  went 
on  without  accident  or  inter- 
ruption. The  young  now  sat  or  stood  with  heads  upturned  in  the  characteristic  attitude 
shown  in  one  of  the  illustrations.  They  flew  on  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth  of 
July,  when  thirteen  days  old,  seeking  the  cover  of  a  thicket  of  birches  close  by,  where 
they  were  cared  for  by  their  parents  until  ready  to  leave  the  neighborhood.  They  were 
scattered  over  an  area  of  several  square  rods,  and  kept  calling  in  their  monotonous 
way,  z-e-e-e-e-t  !  z-e-e-e-e-t !  One  of  their  number,  shown  in  a  photograph  (Fig.  47),  was 
not  touched  or  posed,  but  occupied  a  natural  perch  chosen  by  himself  in  his  flight  from 
tree  to  tree. 

This  Oriole's  nest  (No.  19  of  table)  was  fortunately  placed  in  an  apple  tree  scarcely 
twenty  feet  up,  so  that  no  gymnastic  feat  was  needed  to  bring  the  branch  to  the  ground. 
The  noisy  young  calling  with  incessant  reiteration,  ivick-ick-ick-ick-ick  ! 
advertised  their  nest  to  every  passer  by,  and  it  was  surprising  that  it  had 
remained  unmolested. 


Fig.  n.    Cedar-bird's  nest— No.  10  of  table— in  original  position  marked  by 
arrows.     See  Figs,  g  and  13. 


The  Baltimore 
Oriole. 


Illustrations  of  the  Method. 


This  beautiful  nest  with  the  entire  bough  to  which  it  was  strung  was  moved  eight 
yards  from  the  tree,  set  up  in  the  way  described,  and  the  tent  was  closed  at  a  quarter  past 
eight  o'clock.  After  repeated  visits  to  the  apple  tree  both  birds  disappeared,  but  did  not 
go  out  of  hearing  of  their  young,  who  in  a  half-hour's  time  began  giving  their  wick-ick- 
ick-ick  !  with  an  emphasis  sure  to  evoke  response. 

The  old  birds  began  to  approach,  sounding  now  and  then  their  peculiar  rattle,  and 
the  female  could  be  seen  exploring  the  foliage  of  a  neighboring  tree.  At  fifteen  minutes 
past  nine  one  of  them  was  skirmishing  about  the  tent,  and  in  five  minutes  alighted 
above  the  nest  with  a  green  larva  in  bill.  This  larva  however  had  another  destiny  that 
was  apparent  at  the  moment,  for  a  puff  of  wind  frightened  the  bird  away.  At  her  next 
visit  a  strawberry  was  brought  and  safely  delivered,  in  exactly  one  hour  and  seventeen 
minutes  from  the  beginning  of  operations. 

Observations  were  continued  until  4.25  P.M.  or,  allowing  for  the  noon  intermission, 
during  seven  and  a  quarter  hours.  In  this  period  the  parents  were  at  the  nest  fifty  times 
bringing  insects  and  fruit.  Sometimes  the  feedings  would  follow  at  two  or  three  minute 
intervals ;  then  longer  lapses  would  occur. 

On  the  second  day,  June  26th,  the  female  brought  food  in  five  minutes  after  the  tent 
was  up,  and  during  the  space  of  six  hours  and  twenty-three  minutes  while  operations 
lasted,  the  young 
were  fed  one  hund- 
red and  sixteen  times 
by  both  birds.  I  left 
the  tent  and  entered 
it  again  several  times 
during  the  day,  and 
once  moved  both 
bough  and  tent  to 
improve  the  light. 
By  this  time  the  Ori- 
oles showed  no  fear, 
but  came  to  the  nest- 
ing branch  in  from 
one  to  two  minutes 
after  I  had  entered 
the  tent.  During  an 
interval  of  ten  min- 
utes, the  young  were 
fed  eleven  times. 

The  tent  was 
closed  at  8.30  on  the 
morning  of  the  third 
day,  June  2/th,  and 
the  first  feeding  came 

off  in  five  minutes.     In  two  hours  and  twenty-five  minutes  the  old  birds  made  forty-four 
visits  to  the  nest  bringing  strawberries  and  insects,  and  towards  eleven  o'clock  one  of  the 


Fig.  13.    Cedar-bird's  nest  in  its  new  site. 
Compare  Figs,  i,  9,  and  12. 


Nesting  bough  moved  fifty  feet  to  open  field. 


20 


Wild  Birds. 


young  who  for  a  long  time  had  been  exercising  his  wing-  and  leg-muscles  by  climbing  to 
the  rim  of  the  pouch,  took  his  first  flight,  making  a  neighboring  tree.  Not  long  after,  a 

second  bird  climbed  out  of  the  sack 
and  was  off,  lured  away  by  its  parents. 
The  third  and  last  bird  left  a  little 
later,  and  towards  evening  the  young 
were  calling  from  trees  down  the 
hillside. 

On  the  fifth  day  of  July  a  nest  of 

»|y  three  young  Blackbirds  (No.  2  of  the 

Xdfif*8*^      TheRedwin,       '^le),  aged  five  days, 
JU&      m    ,  lfi»  Blackbird.  was  found  on  the  edge 

•*   ^  •  of  what  was  once  an 

alder  swamp,  close  to  the  town  and 
the  "  Cove  "  made  by  the  Winnipi- 
seogee  River  in  Northfield.  It  was 
fixed  to  several  slender  stems  of 
Spiraea,  amid  a  dense  tangle  of 
Cephalthus,  wild  roses,  and  purple 
milkweeds.  The  situation  was  so 
attractive  and  offered  such  fine  op- 
portunities for  studying  these  birds 
that,  notwithstanding  the  water  and 
mud,  I  determined  to  make  careful 
preparations.  A  space  four  feet 
square  was  at  once  cleared  of  bushes 
at  one  side  of  the  nest.  In  order 
to  sky  the  birds,  the  nesting  twigs 
were  slightly  raised,  but  none  of 
these  were  severed  or  otherwise  dis- 
placed. 

On  the  ninth  of  July  I  built  a  raft 
or  platform  on  the  cleared  area,  and 

painted  it  green,  possibly  an  unnecessary  precaution.  When  weighted  with  the  observer  and 
his  apparatus,  the  flooring  was  barely  clear  of  the  water.  On  the  following  day,  the  tent  was 
pitched  over  this  stranded  raft  and  guyed  to  the  bushes,  the  tent  poles  having  been 
previously  lengthened  to  suit  the  depth  of  mud  and  water.  Everything  was  ready  for 
observations  at  half-past  nine  o'clock.  At  first  the  birds  fluttered  around  the  nest  chuck- 
ing and  whistling  incessantly,  but  in  less  than  an  hour  the  warble  of  the  male  was 
heard,  which  is  a  sure  sign  of  growing  confidence.  Then  both  birds  went  off  for  food, 
returned,  reconnoitred  the  tent  and  nest,  and  after  precisely  one  hour  and  twenty-three 
minutes  from  the  beginning  of  observations  the  female  came  and  fed  her  clamoring  young. 
Again  she  was  off  and  back  three  times  in  rapid  succession.  Three  minutes  later  she  was 
brooding,  and  remained  on  the  nest  thirteen  minutes.  Leaving  it  again,  she  examined 
the  tent  anew,  then  brooded  ten  minutes  more.  A  little  later  the  young  were  fed  and  the 
nest  cleaned  with  great  care. 


Fig.   14.     Baltimore  Oriole   inspecting  young  after  having  fed 
them. 


Illustrations  of  the  Method. 


21 


The  male  was  more  cautious  and  did  not  actually  feed  his  young  until  twenty-seven 
minutes  after  eleven.  His  fears  were  then  dispelled  and  life  at  the  nest  went  on  without 
interruption.  At  about  noon  the  old  birds  were  using  the  tent  as  a  half-way  house, 
alighting  on  its  peak  and  guys,  and  foraging  about  it  for  food.  In  the  space  of  four  hours 
on  the  first  day,  during  which  the  birds  were  watched  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty-seven 
inches,  fifty-four  visits  were  made  and  the  young  were  fed  forty  times.  The  female 
brooded  her  young  over  an  hour,  fed  them  twenty-nine  times,  and  cleaned  the  nest 
thirteen  times.  The  male  made  eleven  visits,  attending  to  sanitary  matters  but  twice. 
This  example  illustrates  as  well  as  any  which  could  be  given  the  advantage  which  attends 
the  use  of  the  observation  tent. 

On  the  following  day,  July  nth,  the  female  was  at  the  nest  and  brooding  her  young 
in  five  minutes  after  the  tent  was  in  position.  Presently  she  left  to  hunt  for  insects, 
alighted  on  the  tent,  and  five  minutes  later  was  feeding  her  young  and  cleaning  the  nest. 
In  the  course  of  nearly  three  and  one  half  hours,  fifty-five  visits  were  made  and  the  young 
were  fed  collectively  or  singly  forty-three  times.  At  about  half-past  eleven  o'clock  one 
of  the  fledglings  left  the  nest  and  was  fed  by  the  old  birds  in  the  surrounding  bushes  of 
the  swamp.  The  female  brought  food  thirty-two  times,  cleaned  the  nest  eight  times,  and 
brooded  eighteen  times  for  intervals  varying  from  thirty  seconds  to  eighteen  minutes. 
This  bird  cut  a  queer  figure  while  stand- 
ing or  sitting  in  the  sun,  with  wings 
spread  and  bristling  like  a  turkey-cock 
with  every  feather  erect,  and  with 
mouth  agape,  trying  to  keep  cool  while 
shielding  her  family  from  the  heat.  Her 
breathings  were  at  the  rate  of  150  to 
160  times  a  minute.  The  male  bird 
served  food  eleven  times  and  attended 
to  sanitary  matters  once.  In  the  course 
of  forty-two  minutes  the  first  young 
bird  to  leave  the  nest  was  fed  eight 
times,  seven  times  by  the  mother  and 
once  by  the  father.  Three  days  later 
the  swamp  was  visited  at  just  after  sun- 
down, when  the  young  birds  suddenly 
arose  from  the  nest  and  flew  off  with 
ease  and  precision. 

Kingbirds  pose  so  well,  especially 
about  their  nests,  that  I  was  anxious  to 

see  how  they  would  stand  _.     ..... 

*  The  Kingbird. 

the  test  of  a  sudden  change 

in  their  surroundings.     Accordingly,  I 

watched    with   unusual  care  two  nests 

which  were  found  near  my  house.     On 

the  thirteenth  day  of  June  one  had  two  and  the  other  four  eggs  all  freshly  laid,  and  these 

appeared  to  be  the  full  complement.     Young  were  hatched  in  each  nest  on  or  near  the 

twenty-fifth  of  the  month. 


Fig.  15.     Baltimore  Oriole  inspecting  nest  when  behavior  has 
become  more  free. 


22 


Wild  Birds. 


The  first  nest  was  built  at  the  top  of  a  hill,  about  a  rod  from  the  Oriole's  nest  already 
described,  on  the  horizontal  limb  of  a  small  apple  tree  twelve  feet  up,  and  was  a  conspicu- 
ous object  to  all  who  passed  that  way.  The  nesting  bough  was  removed  and  mounted  in 
a  good  position  on  the  morning  of  July  2d,  and  the  tent  was  closed  at  half-past  eight 
o'clock.  At  this  time  the  two  young  were  six  days  old  and  covered  with  light  gray  down. 
While  the  operation  was  in  progress  the  old  birds  hovered  over  the  nest,  and  with  their 

usual  boldness,  swooped  down 
close  to  my  head,  snapping  their 
bills  and  uttering  their  piercing 
alarms. 

After  the  tent  was  closed, 
much  to  my  surprise  all  became 
quiet,  and  I  could  see  both  birds 
— the  female  with  insect  in  bill 
— exploring  the  nesting  tree 
twenty  feet  away.  She  would 
fly  to  that  point  in  space  which 
the  nest  formerly  occupied,  and 
hover  over  it  repeatedly,  a  char- 
acteristic action  of  many  birds 
under  such  circumstances.  Ten 
minutes  later  the  female  was 
again  at  the  nesting  tree  with 
insects.  For  an  hour  afterwards 
all  was  quiet.  The  old  birds 
were  sitting  by  in  silence,  prob- 
ably not  far  away.  At  ten  min- 
utes before  eleven  o'clock  one 
of  the  pair,  probably  the  female, 
came  with  a  swoop  to  the  nest- 
ing branch,  and  I  believe  fed  her 
young.  In  this  case  the  observer 
had  to  wait  two  hours  and  twen- 
ty minutes  before  having  the 
birds  close  to  his  eye,  but  he  was 

well  repaid  for  the  delay  as  the  sequel  will  show.  In  one  minute  the  mother  had  returned, 
and  now  both  began  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  In  five  hours  and  six  minutes  (from  10.50 
A.M.  to  4.36  P.M.,  allowing  for  an  intermission  of  forty  minutes  when  the  observer  was 
away),  the  old  birds  made  seventy-five  visits  to  the  nest.  Not  only  had  they  become 
accustomed  to  the  tent,  but  soon  paid  little  heed  to  anything  about  it,  and  one  could 
photograph  them  at  will,  focusing  directly  upon  the  brooding  or  standing  bird.  After  I 
had  entered  the  tent,  they  would  be  at  the  nest  in  five  minutes  or  even  less  time,  and 
the  young  were  often  fed  at  half-minute  intervals.  Occasionally  both  birds  were  at  the 
nest  together,  but  this  seldom  happened  unless  the  female  was  brooding. 

On  the  second  day  the  male  came  to  the  nesting  branch  in  twelve  minutes  after  the 


Fig.  16.     Tent  over  raft  in  water  of  swamp  beside  Redwing  Blackbird's 
nest.    See  Figs.  21  and  22. 


Fig.  17.     Female  Kingbird  balancing  herself  with  raised  wings  while  feeding  young. 


Fig.  18.     Male  Kingbird  seeing  a  cicada  safely  down  a  hungry  throat. 


Fig.  19.    Kingbirds  rending  an  unruly  dragon-fly.     The  female,  who  stands  in  front,  was  brooding  when 

the  prey  was  brought  by  the  male. 


Fig.  20.    Kingbird  family.    The  male— to  the  right— has  captured  a  dragon-fly,  whose  stick  of  a  body 
is  seen  projecting  from  the  mouth  of  a  young  bird. 

25 


Illustrations  of  the  Method. 


27 


tent  was  in  position,  and  the  panora- 
mic scenes  of  life  at  this  nest  went  on 
without  disturbance  for  the  rest  of 
that  day.  The  birds  were  before 
your  eye,  literally  at  hand,  and  the 
observer  had  only  to  watch  and  re- 
cord the  rapidly  shifting  scenes  with 
pencil  and  camera. 

On  the  third  day,  July  4th,  the 
female  was  on  the  bough  in  six  min- 
utes, and  in  six  and  a  half  minutes 
from  the  beginning  of  operations  fed 
her  brood. 

The  fourth  day  of  study  at  this 
nest,  or  the  sixth  from  the  time  of 
displacement,  was  the  most  interest- 
ing of  all.  There  were  now  two  foster 
children  in  addition  to  the  two  born 
in  the  house,  for  I  had  transferred 
two  birds  from  a  former  nest  (No.  21 
of  table).  No  protest  was  made  at 


Fig.  22.     Female  Redwing  Blackbird  with  feathers  erect,  keep- 
ing cool  while  shielding  young  from  heat. 


tfig.  21.     Male  Redwing  Blackbird  feeding  young. 

this  intrusion,  but  the  strangers  were 
adopted  almost  immediately  and  fed 
and  guarded  with  all  the  care  given 
to  their  own  offspring. 

In  the  space  of  four  hours  (8.54 
A.M.  to  12.50  P.M.)  the  parents  made 
one  hundred  and  eight  visits  to  the 
nest  and  fed  their  brood  ninety-one 
times.  In  this  task  the  female  bore 
the  larger  share,  bringing  food  more 
than  fifty  times,  although  the  male 
made  a  good  showing,  having  a  rec- 
ord of  thirty-seven  visits  to  his  credit. 
During  this  long  interval  the  young 
were  thus  fed  on  the  average  of  once 
in  two  and  one  half  minutes.  At  each 
feeding  usually  one  and  but  rarely 
two  birds  were  served.  During  the 
first  hour  the  young  were  fed  on  an 
average  of  once  in  one  and  a  half 
minutes.  The  observer  was  kept  on 


28 


Wild  Birds. 


the  alert  in  recording  what  took  place,  and  the  scenes  would  often  shift  so  quickly  that  it 
was  difficult  to  decide  which  bird  came  to  the  nest.  The  mother  brooded  eighteen  times, 
and  altogether  for  the  space  of  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes.  The  nest  was  cleaned 
seven  times,  and  the  nest  and  young  were  constantly  inspected  and  picked  all  over 
by  both  birds,  although  the  female  was  the  more  scrupulous  in  her  attentions. 

Whenever  the  male  brought  a  large  dragon-fly  to  the  young  an  exciting  scene  was 
sure  to  follow.  If  the  female  happened  to  be  brooding  at  the  time,  she  would  seize  the 
struggling  insect  and  try  to  start  it  down  one  of  the  hungry  throats.  If  she  failed  in  this 
the  male  would  snatch  it  from  her  to  try  his  skill,  and  usually  with  as  little  success.  In 

this  way  the  prey  would  be  passed  back  and 
forth,  until  it  was  crushed  between  the  bills 
of  the  two  birds,  or  torn  limb  from  limb. 
Some  of  these  unequal  contests  between  birds 
and  insects  are  illustrated  by  the  photo- 
graphs. 

When  the  male  brought  a  moth  miller 
and  accidentally  dropped  it  close  to  the  tent, 
he  went  after  it  like  a  flash,  and  to  place  its 
security  beyond  doubt  swallowed  it  himself. 
Again,  one  of  the  birds  while  perched  near  by 
was  seen  to  disgorge  the  indigestible  parts  of 
its  insect  food,  a  common  practice  with  fly- 
catchers both  old  and  young. 

I  have  added  the  foregoing  details  in 
order  to  show  with  what  harmony  life  at  the 
new  nesting  site  proceeds  when  once  the 
severed  threads  have  been  united.  A  knowl- 
edge of  former  conditions  seemed  to  have 

been  completely  effaced.  The  nesting  bough  was  defended  with  the  same  bold  spirit  for 
which  this  bird  is  celebrated.  The  young  were  brooded  night  and  day,  while  birds  of 
other  species  were  constantly  assailed  and  driven  from  the  premises. 

At  noon  on  the  ninth  day  of  July  one  Kingbird,  then  full-fledged,  was  standing  on 
the  branch  beside  the  nest.  When  touched  he  was  off  like  a  shot,  and  at  this  signal 
the  others  tried  their  wings  for  the  first  time  and  landed  in  the  grass.  After  being 
replaced  many  times,  two  consented  to  remain,  and  spent  that  night  in  the  old  home,  but 
forsook  it  the  next  morning,  when  two  weeks  old.  The  first  nest,  which  had  been  dis- 
placed in  a  similar  way  and  which  as  we  have  seen  eventually  contained  two  birds,  was 
occupied  eighteen  days.  The  last  to  leave  flew  easily  two  hundred  feet  down  the  hill- 
side on  the  thirteenth  of  July.  After  taking  this  one  home  to  secure  a  photograph, 
I  carried  him  to  the  hilltop  and  tossed  him  in  the  air.  In  his  second  flight  which  was 
long  and  good,  he  made  a  distant  apple  tree.  Both  old  and  young  birds  remained  in  the 
neighborhood  for  several  weeks,  and  were  still  there  when  I  went  away  in  early  August. 


Fig.  23.    Young  Kingbird  eighteen  days  old.     "Thelast 
to  leave  flew  easily  two  hundred  feet  down  the  hillside." 


CHAPTER   III. 
TENT  AND  CAMERA  :    THE   TOOLS   OF  BIRD-PHOTOGRAPHY. 

PHOTOGRAPHY  has  become  so  essential  to  the  practice  of  the  other  arts  and 
sciences,  that  the  student  need  not  suffer  from  lack  of  advice,  or  of  detailed  man- 
uals which  treat  every  branch  of  the  subject. 

In  the  notes  which  follow  I  shall  confine  myself  mainly  to  the  results  of  personal  ex- 
perience in  working  with  the  tent. 

The  Observation  Tent. — To  satisfy  the  student  and  photographer  of  birds,  the  tent 
must  not  only  afford  a  perfect  means  of  concealment,  but  must  be  light,  portable,  easily 
adjusted,  and  to  the  fastidious,  a  most  important  consideration, — comfortable  to  work  in. 

The  tent  which  I  have  used  for  two  seasons  and  will  now  describe,  meets  these 
requirements  fairly  well.  It  is  made  of  stout  grass-green  '  denim,  and  with  the  frame 
weighs  only  six  and  one  half  pounds.  It  can  be  pitched  in  ten  minutes  almost  anywhere, 
and  may  be  compactly  rolled,  and  carried  for  miles  without  serious  inconvenience.  It.  is 
6£  ft.  tall,  4^  ft.  long,  and  3^  ft  wide,  dimensions  which  will  be  found  suitable  for  a  person 
not  much  above  the  average  height.  One  may  spend  any  number  of  hours  in  it  by  day  or 
night,  and  with  a  fair  degree  of  comfort,  excepting  in  very  hot  or  sultry  weather,  when 
exposed  to  the  sun  on  all  sides.  I  have  suspended  operations  but  once  on  account 
of  the  heat,  but  there  have  been  occasions  when  to  have  done  so  might  have  been  better. 

The  tent  frame  is  in  three  pieces,  two  upright  poles  or  stakes  with  folding  cross-bars, 
and  an  adjustable  ridge-pole.  The  stakes  should  be  from  six  to  six  and  a  half  feet  long, 
and  may  be  easily  lengthened  at  any  time,  as  when  the  tent  is  to  be  pitched  in  a  swamp 
or  over  mud  and  water.  They  are  pointed  at  the  lower  ends  which  are  set  in  the 
ground,  and  capped  above  with  an  arch  of  sheet  zinc  or  iron  to  receive  the  ridge-pole. 
The  latter  is  held  in  place  with  two  pins  or  wire  nails  which  are  pressed  through  a  hole 
in  the  zinc  cap,  and  through  the  end  of  the  ridge-pole  into  the  upright  stake.  The  eaves 
of  the  tent  consist  of  a  double  fold  of  cloth  projecting  half  an  inch,  to  each  corner 
of  which  is  sewn  a  covered  wire  ring.  When  in  position  the  tent  is  firmly  guyed  by 
small  cords  fastened  to  each  ring.  The  flaps  are  placed  at  one  of  the  corners,  and  may  be 
pinned  together  when  in  use.  The  free  lower  border  of  the  tent  is  fixed  to  the  ground 
by  wire  pins,  which  may  be  pushed  through  the  cloth  at  convenient  places.  From  four 
to  eight  of  these  pins  are  needed,  and  each  should  be  seven  or  eight  inches  long,  and 
have  a  large  soldered  loop  at  one  end. 

The  tent  may  be  ventilated  from  above  and  made  more  comfortable  on  hot  days  by 

1  Brown  or  gray  might  answer  as  well.     The  green  color  serves  to  render  the  tent  inconspicuous  to  both  ani- 
mals and  men. 

29 


Wild  Birds. 


cutting  out  a  large  flap  on  each  side  of  the  roof,  extending  this  a  foot  or  less,  and  then 
guying  each  corner  separately,  at  such  an  angle  as  to  admit  a  free  passage  of  air  under 
the  peak.  For  convenience  I  prefer  the  simpler  form. 

After  working  one  summer  with  the  tent  I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  interesting  work 
of  the  brothers  Kearton,1  in  which  a  different  kind  of  blind  is  used.     They  devised  an 

imitation  tree-trunk,  having  a 
skeleton  of  bamboo  rods  and 
a  covering  of  galvanized  wire 
and  green  cloth,  large  enough 
to  hold  the  photographer 
standing  erect  with  his  camera. 
The  outside  was  painted  in 
imitation  of  bark  and  decorat- 
ed with  moss  and  leaves.  This 
was  used  in  cases  of  nests 
placed  on  or  near  the  ground 
in  favorable  situations.  Mr. 
Kearton  says  it  would  hardly 
do  to  set  this  up  beside  an  ex- 
posed nest  like  a  lark's  "  in 
the  middle  of  a  bare  ten-acre 
field,"  and  to  suit  such  a  case 
they  constructed  an  artificial 
rubbish  heap,  from  which  pho- 
tographs were  successfully 
made. 

Such  devices  are  of  course 
unnecessary  when  the  nesting 
site  is  brought  under  control, 
since  in  this  case  the  birds 
must  become  accustomed  to  a 
changed  environment,  and  the 
addition  of  the  tent  is  a  fac- 
tor of  no  great  importance. 
Then  again  the  great  heat  of 
summer  would  prohibit  their  use  in  most  parts  of  this  country.  Aside  from  the  question 
of  comfort  however,  the  advantages  of  the  tent  lie  in  its  convenience  and  portability.  It 
is  a  simple  means  of  attaining  what  is  chiefly  sought,  perfect  concealment.  The  reason  it 
has  not  been  adopted  before  possibly  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  readiness  with  which 
many  birds  become  accustomed  to  strange  objects,  or  form  new  habits,  has  not  hitherto 
been  appreciated.  Since  individual  and  specific  differences  are  so  great  in  the  class  of 
birds,  whose  distribution  is  world-wide,  one  should  not  be  surprised  if  there  are  many 
cases  in  which  the  tent  or  any  similar  blind  would  not  work  with  success. 

1   Wild  Life  at  Home  :  How  to  Study  and  Photograph  It.      By  R.  Kearton,  illustrated  by  C.  Kearton.     Cassell 
&  Company,  1899. 


Fig.   24.     The  tools  of  bird-photography :    the  tent  rolled  up  in  portable 
form  at  right. 


Tent  and  Camera:  The  Tools  of  Bird-Photography.  31 

The  Tent  in  Use. — Some  difficulty  may  be  experienced  in  pitching  the  tent  in  exactly 
;he  right  position  with  reference  to  the  nest,  without  the  necessity  of  further  change. 
The  factors  to  be  borne  in  mind  are  the  height  of  the  sun,  the  focal  length  of  the  lens, 
and  the  position  of  the  window  to  be  made  in  the  tent-front  directly  opposite  the  nest. 
The  front  of  the  tent  should  be  parallel  with  the  nesting  bough  (when  there  is  one),  and 
the  long  axis  of  the  latter  should  be  parallel  with  the  sun's  course.  The  tent  is  so  placed 
that  the  nest  is  in  direct  line,  not  with  the  middle  of  the  tent,  but  with  the  window  to 
one  side.  When  the  observer  stands  within,  facing  the  nest,  the  window  lies  to  his  left,  at 
one  side  of  the  vertical  stake,  and  either  just  over  the  cross-piece  or  somewhere  below  it, 
depending  on  the  height  of  the  nest  from  the  ground.  The  tent  will  not  overshadow  the 
nesting  bough  when  once  it  is  in  proper  position. 

If  the  focal  length  of  the  lens  be  6£  inches,  and  the  nest  that  of  a  Cedar  Waxwing,  which 
is  mounted  at  the  height  of  four  feet,  and  the  tent  be  so  placed  that  the  front  of  the  lens  is 
twenty-eight  inches  from  the  rim  of  the  nest,  we  shall  get  a  picture  with  adequate  setting  on 
a  4  x  5  plate,  like  many  shown  in  the  engravings.  With  lenses  of  longer  focus,  which  it 
is  advisable  to  use  if  possible,  it  is  not  necessary  to  approach  so  near.  The  large  Robin 
pictures  were  made  with  a  9-^  inch  lens  on  a  5  x/  plate,  at  a  distance  of  about  four  feet. 

When  the  position  has  been  determined  the  tent-poles  are  set  firmly  into  the  ground, 
the  ridge-pole  adjusted  and  the  tent-cloth  thrown  over  it.  It  saves  time  to  lay  one  end 
of  the  peak  in  position  and  draw  the  other  over  to  its  proper  place.  The  cross-pieces  are 
then  lowered  from  the  inside  and  the  guys  loosely  set.  A  flap  about  six  inches  square  is 
then  cut  with  scissors  in  the  front  of  the  tent,  to  the  left  of  the  pole  opposite  the  nest, 
which  can  be  viewed  through  the  opening.  Should  the  position  subsequently  prove  to  be 
wrong,  the  poles  may  be  raised  both  together  and  reset.  When  everything  is  right  the 
guys  are  tightened,  and  the  free  edges  fixed  to  the  ground  with  wire  pins,  which  will  hold 
the  walls  taut  and  prevent  excessive  flapping  when  there  is  wind.  It  is  often  convenient 
to  have  the  flap  at  the  front  on  the  operator's  left  so  that  one  leg  of  the  tripod  may  pro- 
ject through  it. 

The  proper  adjustment  of  the  camera  follows,  the  nest  being  the  object  focused  until 
the  old  birds  appear.  I  have  found  it  advantageous  to  pin  the  focusing  cloth  firmly 
around  the  camera  so  that  it  is  always  in  position  for  use,  and  to  stretch  a  piece  of  green 
denim  on  the  side  of  the  camera  next  the  observer,  fixing  it  between  the  front  fold  of  the 
focusing  cloth  and  the  tent  so  that  it  hangs  vertical,  and  effectually  conceals  the  operator 
when  standing  upright  and  setting  the  shutter.  Peep-holes  are  made  to  command  all 
directions,  and  of  course  the  nesting  bough  to  which  attention  is  mainly  given.  It  is  con- 
venient to  make  small  V-shaped  openings  which  can  be  pinned  up  or  down.  A  bird  will 
sometimes  detect  some  movement  of  the  eye  when  close  to  such  openings,  so  that  they 
should  not  be  made  larger  or  more  numerous  than  necessary. 

When  a  photograph  has  been  made  and  the  shutter  is  to  be  reset,  the  vertical  flap  is 
released  from  the  focusing  cloth  and  carefully  drawn  over  the  window,  if  the  birds  happen 
to  be  at  the  nest  as  when  the  female  is  brooding.  Otherwise  if  timid  or  unaccustomed  to  the 
new  conditions,  the  movement  of  the  hand  may  be  a  source  of  alarm.  I  have  successively 
photographed  family  groups  without  disturbing  them,  when  at  a  distance  of  twenty-eight 
to  thirty-six  inches,  after  they  had  learned  to  disregard  the  click  of  the  shutter.  When  a 
window  in  a  different  position  is  wanted,  the  old  one  is  patched  up  and  a  new  one  made. 


32  Wild  Birds. 

Camera. — Any  good  long  focus  camera  with  reversible  back  will  answer,  the  size 
and  weight  being  the  considerations  of  greatest  moment.  Most  naturalists  and  sports- 
men, who  travel  long  distances  and  carry  their  own  traps,  find  a  camera  which  takes  a 
4x5  plate  the  most  convenient  and  economical.  I  have  used  this,  but  for  work  with 
the  tent  prefer  the  5x7  size  because  it  gives  a  larger  and  better  picture  of  the  object 
sought.  The  large  camera  with  a  heavy  lens  may  be  a  drag  on  the  mind  and  body  of  the 
most  enthusiastic  pedestrian,  but  one  is  usually  amply  repaid  for  the  greater  trouble 
involved.  For  long  journeys  however  the  lightest  possible  outfit  is  decidedly  preferable. 

In  working  at  short  range  with  lenses  of  moderate  focus  the  long  bellows  is  a  necessity, 
and  at  the  same  time  enables  one  to  take  full  sized  pictures  of  small  objects,  as  well  as  to 
use  the  telephoto  lens  should  this  be  desired.  The  reversible  back,  making  it  possible 
to  reverse  the  position  of  the  plate  without  moving  the  camera  and  often  without  disturb- 
ing the  bird,  is  an  adjunct  of  the  greatest  convenience. 

While  the  best  tools  are  always  to  be  desired,  excellent  pictures  can  be  made  with  a 
cheap  outfit,  provided  the  lens  is  rapid  enough.  Nearly  all  of  my  own  work  has  been 
done  in  the  tent  with  the  birds  at  hand,  but  in  taking  quick  shots  of  birds  or  quadrupeds 
when  there  is  no  lure  to  chain  them  to  a  given  spot  a  hand-box  camera  is  needed.  The 
lens  should  be  of  long  focus,  and  the  adjustments  such  as  to  enable  the  operator  to  focus 
and  expose  as  nearly  simultaneously  as  possible.  To  meet  these  requirements  the  twin- 
lens  and  reflecting  cameras,  both  of  which  are  old  inventions,1  have  in  recent  years  been 
placed  on  the  market  in  improved  and  serviceable  forms. 

The  "  twin-lens  "  consists  of  two  cameras,  set  one  above  the  other,  the  bellows  of 
which  move  as  one.  The  lower  takes  the  picture,  while  the  upper  gives  the  image  which 
is  reflected  on  a  glass  plate  set  in  the  top  of  the  box.  Besides  being  expensive  and 
heavy,  the  trade  sizes  of  these  cameras  are  apt  to  be  of  too  short  focus  to  be  of  much 
service  to  the  animal  photographer. 

The  reflecting  camera*  does  the  work  of  the  two  lenses  with  a  single  lens  and 
bellows,  and  in  the  recent  designs  is  provided  with  a  focal  plane  shutter,  which  is  one  of 
the  best  for  exposures  quicker  than  the  Tfa  second  mark  of  ordinary  shutters.  Like  the 
upper  half  of  the  "  twin-lens  "  it  has  a  movable  mirror,  set  at  an  angle  of  45  °,  which  casts 
the  image  made  by  the  lens  on  a  plate  of  ground  glass  set  in  the  top  of  the  box  and  shielded 
by  an  adjustable  hood.  The  mirror  is  so  placed  between  the  plate  and  lens  that  the  dis- 
tance from  lens  to  sensitive  plate  equals  the  distance  traversed  by  light  in  passing  from  lens 
to  mirror  and  ground  glass.  When  the  object  is  focused,  a  lever  is  pressed  which  raises  the 
mirror  and  automatically  releases  the  shutter.  One  must  expect  to  find  the  image  on  the 
ground  glass  somewhat  dimmer  than  when  no  interposing  mirror  is  used.  To  be  most 
serviceable  this  camera  should  have  a  long  bellows. 

The  Lens. — In  animal  photography  short  and  long  focus,  and  telephoto  lenses  are 
available.  My  own  experience  has  been  mainly  limited  to  the  following :  Zeiss  Anastigmat 

1  The  principle  of  the  reflecting  camera  was  applied  as  early  as  1860,  and  various  forms  of  the  reflex  type  were 
devised  during  the  next  thirty  years.     In  1891  Dr.  Kriigener  of  Frankfort  brought  out  his  "  Normal  Reflex-Camera," 
in  which  the  construction,  though  somewhat  complicated,  was  much  improved.      The  principles  are  essentially  the 
same  in  the  later  designs :  see  Ausfuhrliches  ffandbitch  der  Photographic,  by  Josef  Maria  Eder,  Halle,  1891.     For  an 
account  of  the  reflecting  camera  with  focal  plane  shutter,  by  Mr.  John  Rowley,  see  Bird  Lore,  April,  1900. 

2  Manufactured  by  the  Reflex  Camera  Co.,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 


Tent  and  Camera  :   The  Tools  of  Bird-Photography. 


33 


Series  ii  a,  6£  inch,  speed  £ ;    Convertible  Anastigmat,  Series  vii  a,  combined  equivalent 
focus  8  inches,  speed  6f^  ;   Extra  Rapid  Universal  Lens,  Series  D,  9  \  inch,  speed  {.' 

The  convertible  anastigmats  are  convertible  in  two  or  three  lenses  of  different 
foci,  according  as  the  single  anastigmats  are  of  equal  or  different  focus.  They  thus  com- 
bine in  a  single  lens  the  possibilities  of  working  with  short  and  long  focus,  the  greatest 
speed  being  obtained  when  each  system  of  the  doublet  has  the  same  focus. 


Fig.  25.     Female  Brown  Thrush  stepping  into  her  nest  to  brood. 

In  photographing  animals  close  at  hand  the  anastigmatic  qualities  of  a  lens  count  for 
little.  It  is  depth  of  focus  combined  with  high  speed  which  are  most  needed,  conse- 
quently any  lens  possessing  these  qualities  will  answer. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  in  bird-photography  has  hitherto  been  that  of  ap- 
proach within  "  shooting  "  distance.  The  control  of  the  nesting  site,  and  the  use  of  the  tent 
offer  a  solution  so  far  as  life  at  the  nest  is  concerned,  in  at  least  many  species,  and  the 
tent  in  its  general  use  does  away  with  the  need  of  the  very  long  focus  or  telephoto 
lenses. 

1  These  lenses  are  made  by  the  Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co.,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


34  Wild  Birds. 

In  photographing  birds  sitting,  brooding,  or  standing  at  the  nest  there  is  no  difficulty 
with  a  lens  of  speed  •£,  which  requires  ^  second  to  fully  expose  the  plate,  at  a  distance 
of  twenty-eight  inches  with  full  lens  and  strong  light.  With  scenes  in  which  the  actors 
are  in  constant  motion,  however,  we  require  a  much  faster  lens,  which  will  reduce  the 
exposure  to  at  least  ^  of  a  second. 

For  photographing  inaccessible  nests,  and  birds  which  pose  well  but  are  unapproach- 
able under  ordinary  conditions,  we  must  resort  to  the  long  focus  and  telephoto  lenses. 
The  long  exposure  required  for  the  telephoto  lenses  now  on  the  market,  from  one  half  a 
second  to  a  second  or  more,  restricts  their  use  to  comparatively  rare  and  lucky  chances 

The  Tripod. — When  two  cameras  are  carried  of  the  4x5  and  5x7  size,  a  single 
tripod  will  answer  for  both,  provided  it  is  moderately  stiff  about  the  head.  A  two-length 
tripod  of  medium  weight  will  serve  most  purposes,  but  a  shorter  one  is  also  required  for 
nests  on  or  near  the  ground.  This  is  best  made  by  cutting  down  one  of  the  ordinary 
kind,  rather  than  resorting  to  those  of  the  multifolding  type,  which  are  constantly  spread- 
ing and  slipping  at  critical  moments. 

The  "  Graphic  "  ball  and  socket  clamp,  used  as  a  camera  holder  for  the  bicycle,  has 
been  strongly  recommended  as  a  substitute  for  the  tripod  or  as  an  adjunct  to  it,  as  in 
photographing  nests  in  trees,  when  the  clamp  which  is  screwed  to  the  camera  is  fastened 
to  a  convenient  limb,  but  since  my  own  work  has  been  of  another  kind,  I  have  had  little 
occasion  for  its  use. 

The  Shutter. — In  photographing  birds  whose  sense  of  hearing  is  well  known  to  be 
acute,  next  to  a  good  lens,  a  silent  shutter  is  most  needed,  especially  when  the  camera  is 
less  than  three  feet  away.  The  shutter  which  is  silent  not  only  in  name  but  in  actual  use, 
and  at  all  speeds,  is  at  present  one  of  the  greatest  needs  in  the  photography  of  animals, 
and  especially  of  birds. 

Birds  will  often  jump  into  the  air  as  if  shot,  at  the  first  click  of  the  metallic  shutter. 
Fortunately,  however,  the  force  of  habit  now  comes  to  our  aid,  since  they  gradually  learn 
that  it  is  harmless,  and  may  be  safely  disregarded. 

The  "  iris  diaphragm  shutter,"  which  I  have  mainly  used,  is  often  troublesome  in  that 
some  part  of  the  sound  arises  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  exposure,  so  that  a  startled 
bird  in  the  course  of  -fa  of  a  second  may  be  all  over  your  plate.  The  marks  on  all  such 
shutters,  which  are  conventional  rather  than  exact  time  measurements,  differ  in  different 
shutters  of  the  same  or  different  make,  and  their  limit  of  rapidity  does  not  exceed 
"TSTF  second."  For  greater  speeds  the  focal  plane  or  some  other  very  rapid  shutter 
must  be  used. 

Plates. — For  animal  photography  the  most  rapid  plates  are  none  too  fast,  and  any  of 
the  best  brands  can  be  recommended.  It  is  always  a  good  plan  to  adhere  to  one  kind 
which  has  proved  satisfactory.  One  piece  of  advice  should  not  come  amiss,  which  is  to 
always  use  fresh  plates,  and  all  of  the  same  emulsion  if  possible,  and  if  any  doubt  as  to 
their  age  exists,  to  test  them  before  starting  on  an  expedition.  Old  plates  blacken  along 
their  edges  in  a  characteristic  manner,  when  placed  in  the  developer,  and  if  deterioration 
passes  this  stage  the  whole  plate  will  fog.  The  dusting  of  plates,  slides,  and  holders  be- 
fore reloading,  and  the  carriage  of  all  unused  plates  in  a  dust-proof  bag,  are  as  much  a 
necessity  now  as  ever. 

Much  of  my  own  work  has  been  done  in  the  country  with  dark  room  and   base  of 


Tent  and  Camera :  The  Tools  of  Bird-Photography.  35 

supplies  close  at  hand.  Under  these  conditions  it  is  not  necessary  to  carry  more  than  two 
or  three  dozen  plates  at  a  time.  By  developing  on  the  day  of  exposure  it  is  possible  to 
correct  errors  or  fill  up  the  gaps  on  the  day  following. 

Orthochromatic  plates  require  careful  treatment,  but  in  skillful  hands  offer  advan- 
tages which  should  not  be  neglected.  This  is  well  illustrated  in  the  case  of  birds  of  bril- 
liant colors  like  the  Orioles,  which  on  ordinary  plates  appear  as  "  Blackbirds  "  (compare 
figures  14,  15). 

Accessories. — The  minor  articles  which  are  needed  to  complete  the  photographer's 
outfit,  all  of  which  can  be  rolled  up  with  the  tent  or  better  carried  in  a  hand  bag,  will  be 
suggested  by  a  little  experience  in  the  field.  A  saw,  hatchet  and  nails  are  often  required, 
as  well  as  scissors,  pins,  the  supply  of  which  is-  always  liable  to  run  out,  and  a  small  hand 
mirror  for  use  in  setting  the  shutter  from  the  rear.  A  toilet  hand  mirror  which  can  be 
turned  at  any  angle  is  a  convenient  means  of  inspecting  the  interior  of  nests  inaccessible 
to  the  hand,  but  within  reach  of  the  mirror  attached  to  a  pole. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  ROBIN  AT  ARM'S  LENGTH. 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  a  better  symbol  of  cheerfulness  than  the  Robin  singing  through  the  rain.  The  green 
grass  pricking  through  the  April  snow  is  a  pleasant  sight  because  it  is  the  sign  of  spring.  For  the  same  reason  the 
snow-laden  twigs  of  the  apple  tree  on  the  lawn  take  on  a  new  interest  when  a  Robin  alights  in  them  and  turns  its 
bright  breast  to  your  window. 

NO  bird  is  better  known  in  America  than  the  Robin  who  annually  visits  nearly  every 
part  of  the  continent.     Upon  the  whole  it  shuns  the  forest  and  comes  to  the 
haunts  of  man,  to  the  farm,  the  village  and  the  city  street,  with  their  attractive 
orchards  and  parks,  their  long  lines  of  shade  trees  and  green  lawns. 

Is  it  possible  to  say  anything  new 
about  such  a  familiar  personality?  Not 
much,  you  may  think,  yet  it  will  be  inter- 
esting to  study  our  friend  at  a  closer  range 
than  is  usually  possible.  In  this  case  we 
shall  "  make  the  mountain  come  to  Maho- 
met," or  bring  the  nest  from  the  treetop  to 
a  point  nearer  the  ground,  where  there  is 
no  foliage  to  obscure  our  vision,  and  where 
we  can  see  every  thing  that  transpires, 
within  reach  of  the  hand. 

Birds  differ  slightly  in  every  bodily 
character,  as  well  as  in  every  mental  trait, 
and  while  we  commonly  meet  with  average 
types,  extremes  of  temperament  are  by  no 
means  rare.  This  fact  is  illustrated  by  the 
Robins  whose  history  follows. 

One  pair  dwelt  in  the  woods  and  were 
exceedingly  wary,  while  the  other  was  com- 
fortably settled  in  town,  and  lived  on  a 
familiar  footing  with  man.  The  town 
Robins  had,  I  suspected,  already  led  forth 
a  brood  from  a  pine  tree  on  the  bank  close 
to  my  house,  but  at  all  events  there  was  a 
new  nest  in  the  apple  tree  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  July  the 
mother  bird  was  sitting  on  three  blue  eggs.  Incubation  lasted  about  two  weeks,  and  life 
at  the  nest  about  twelve  days. 

36 


Fig.  26.     "Robin  snow"  in  April  x  3. 


Fig.  27.     Head  of  Cock  Robin,  life-size  X  4}. 


Fig.  28.    Head  of  female  Robin,  life-size  X4i.    Photographed  at  nest  immediately  after  the  ' 
young  were  fed.     The  slime  from  their  throats  sticks  to  her  bill. 

37 


The  Robin  at  Arm's  Length.  39 

When  the  young  were  three  days  old  the  mother  passed  some  moments  of  great 
suspense.  A  small  flock  of  Crow  Blackbirds  alighted  on  her  tree,  but  either  did  not  dis- 
cover the  nest,  or  thought  better  of  disturbing  it  after  seeing  its  guardian.  The  wily  old 
Robin  stood  alert  on  the  rim  of  the  nest,  but  said  never  a  word,  a  plan  which  good  sense 
and  intelligence  could  not  have  improved  upon.  When  the  young  were  eight  days  old, 
the  entire  bough  was  sawn  off,  carefully  lowered  to  the  ground  and  set  up  on  the  hillside. 

In  exactly  fifty-five  minutes  from  the  beginning  of  operations  the  mother  appeared 
with  a  large  grasshopper,  which  she  gave  to  the  young,  and  afterwards  cleaned  the  nest. 
The  male  came  also,  when  the  comparative  safety  of  the  new  conditions  had  become 
apparent,  but  approached  with  more  caution.  At  first  both  birds  flew  to  the  tree  by 
their  accustomed  paths,  and  examined  the  place  where  their  bough  had  been  lopped  off, 
and  in  their  admirable  and  fearless  manner  blustered  about  fora  while,  taking  no  pains  to 
conceal  their  anger.  Of  course  they  knew  where  their  young  were  all  the  time,  for  in 
certain  directions  their  vision  is  keener  than  any  man's. 

We  know  well  with  what  confidence  the  Robin  flies  direct  to  its  nest,  when  no 
danger  threatens,  but  under  the  present  circumstances  their  suspicions  might  well  have 
been  aroused.  The  absence  of  sound  and  motion  in  strange  objects  is  always  reassuring, 
and  soon  Mother  Robin  could  be  seen  perched  on  the  top  of  an  apple  tree,  surveying 
the  field.  She  called  sect  I  sect !  while  the  grasshopper  in  her  bill  squirmed  to  get  free, 
and  the  young  chirped  loudly  in  reply. 

When  their  behavior  is  free  and  spontaneous  it  is  pleasant  to  see  these  birds  act 
promptly  without  apparent  hesitation.  They  haggle  over  nothing  but  follow  the  bent 
of  their  strongest  instincts.  In  the  present  case  the  fear  which  controls  them  for  a 
time,  and  overpowers  their  strong  parental  love,  is  gradually  worn  away.  Suddenly 
down  comes  one  of  the  old  birds  with  all  its  weight  on  the  limb.  The  young  have 
felt  similar  vibrations  before  and  know  what  to  expect.  Up  go  the  three  heads  at 
once,  each  mounted  on  a  slender  stalk,  and  each  bearing  at  its  apex  what  might  suggest 
a  full-blown,  brilliant  flower,  for  as  is  well  known,  the  extent  of  their  gape  is  extraordin- 
ary and  the  inside  of  the  mouth  has  a  bright  orange  hue.  The  young  tremble  with  violent 
emotions  as  they  jostle,  struggle,  and  call  with  undiminished  zeal  even  after  being  fed. 

After  the  first  visit  had  proved  successful,  confidence  was  established  at  once,  the 
female  and  later  the  male  coming  to  the  young  at  intervals  of  about  five  minutes,  bring- 
ing grasshoppers,  and  occasionally  removing  the  excreta  or  devouring  it  on  the  spot. 
They  frequently  carried  five  or  six  insects  at  one  load,  when  their  bills  would  suggest  a 
solid  stalk  of  grasshoppers,  all  struggling  to  get  free. 

The  mother  did  not  touch  the  nest  with  her  feet  at  the  time  of  her  first  visit,  but 
clasped  a  small  vertical  branch,  and  bent  down  over  her  young/ but  ever  after  both  birds 
would  alight  on  the  broad  rim  of  the  nest,  and  from  this  vantage  point  feed,  inspect,  and 
clean  the  young,  one  at  a  time.  They  suffer  nothing  to  waste,  and  rarely  allow  a  cricket 
or  grasshopper  to  escape,  but  releasing  one  at  a  time  see  it  safely  down  an  open  mouth. 
Then  after  inspection  is  over  they  fly  to  the  nearest  perch,  and  make  haste  to  clean  their 
bills  and  set  their  dress  in  order.  This  done,  there  is  often  a  pause  of  a  few  moments  as  if 
in  doubt  whether  to  hunt  more  grasshoppers,  to  dig  angleworms  in  yonder  cornfield,  or  to 
try  the  cherry  trees  along  the  fence-row.  They  will  take  everything  which  their  sharp 
eye  discerns,  and  often  pick  up  an  insect  close  to  the  nest. 


40  Wild  Birds. 

One  Robin  at  the  age  of  eleven  days  left  the  family  circle  early  on  August  I3th,  and 
at  nine  o'clock  the  two  which  remained  were  standing  up  and  flapping  their  wings.  The 
old  birds  would  come  near,  displaying  tempting  morsels  in  their  bills,  but  with  no  intention 
of  feeding  their  young  so  long  as  they  remained  on  the  nest.  By  such  tantalizing  meth- 
ods they  soon  drew  them  away.  Both  old  and  young  hung  about  the  apple  trees  for  sev- 
eral days,  when  they  disappeared  and  were  not  seen  again. 


i 


. 


Fig.  29.     Female  Robin  brooding  on  a  hot  day  —  her  left  wing  pushed  up  by  a  young  bird. 

At  the  stage  of  flight  the  young  Robins  have  several  distinct  call  and  alarm  notes 
like  those  of  the  adult  birds.  They  can  take  short,  low  flights,  can  hop  briskly,  and  go 
to  cover  instinctively  whether  with  or  without  warnings.  They  will  also  lie  quiet  in  the 
grass,  as  in  hiding,  a  common  instinctive  act. 

The  second  family  of  Robins  nested  high  in  an  oak,  and  whenever  they  were  ap- 
proached the  old  birds  made  an  admirable  show  of  pugnacity,  scolding,  screaming,  erect- 
ing their  feathers,  snapping  their  bills  and  darting  straight  at  your  head.  Their  nesting 
branch  was  taken  from  the  woods  to  a  bare,  open  field,  and  set  up  sixty  feet  from 
the  tree  in  the  way  already  described.  The  first  morning's  experience  was  rather  dis- 
couraging, for  neither  bird  would  come  to  its  nest  while  the  tent  was  in  front  of  it.  They 


Fig.  30.     Female  Robin  inspecting  her  household  immediately  after  the  young  have  been  fed  : 
a  characteristic  attitude. 


OFTHE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 

iLIFORt^s 


Fig.  31.     Male  Robin  serving  a  cluster  of  angleworms  and  a  grasshopper.     Notice  his  position 
here  on  the  right  as  in  all  other  pictures  of  this  nest.     See  Chapter  XII. 


43 


The  Robin  at  Arm's   Length.  45 

called  plaintively  from  the  trees,  and  circled  about  the  nesting  bough  again  and  again, 
but  always  kept  at  a  distance.  Accordingly,  after  feeding  the  young,  I  decided  to  strike 
tent  and  wait  until  next  day.  There  was  a  heavy  thunder  storm  in  the  afternoon, 
but  when  I  visited  the  nest  towards  evening  I  was  pleased  to  find  the  young  as  lively  as 
ever,  and  the  old  birds  on  guard  with  their  usual  spirit  and  tenacity  unimpaired. 

The  next  morning  they  stormed  vigorously  about  the  tent  and  the  male  even  came 
to  the  nest  while  I  was  standing  near.  After  closing  the  tent  I  was  under  the  cross-fire 
of  their  wrath  for  seven  or  eight  minutes,  when  the  alarm  calls  suddenly  ceased,  and  in 
two  minutes  more  the  mother  was  on  the  nesting  bough.  The  female  actually  came  to 
the  nest  or  to  the  branch  which  held  it  eight  times  in  succession,  in  the  space  of  twelve 
minutes,  with  insect  ready  but  without  delivering  it.  Matters  did  not  altogether  please 
her  yet,  and  with  a  shrill  sect  !  seet  !  away  she  would  go,  but  only  to  return  a  half  min- 
ute later.  Finally  she  came  boldly  to  the  nest's  brim,  uttered  a  sound  like  cuck  !  cuck  ! 
which  means  "  Open  wide !  "  and  produced  a  number  of  sturdy  looking  grasshoppers. 
Two  minutes  later  the  mother  came  again,  and  after  feeding  the  young,  picked  them  all 
over,  spending  a  minute  and  a  half  in  the  duties  of  inspecting  and  cleaning.  It  was  a  hard 
task  to  conquer  these  birds,  but  they  had  to  submit  to  the  inevitable,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  but  a  few  days  more  would  have  brought  them  to  the  hand. 

The  relative  strength  of  the  parental  instinct  was  well  illustrated  by  the  behavior  of 
these  Robins.  The  female  was  always  the  first  at  the  nest,  and  came  at  forty  minutes 
after  nine  o'clock  on  the  second  day.  The  male  though  constantly  skirmishing  about  with 
bill  loaded,  was  not  on  the  branch  with  food  until  two  hours  and  ten  minutes  later.  Mean- 
time the  mother  had  been  giving  the  young  her  constant  attention.  The  cock,  though  at 
the  nest  or  on  the  bough  several  times,  did  not  actually  have  the  courage  to  feed  his  little 
ones  until  long  past  noon.  In  the  performance  of  this  duty  he  was  three  hours  and 
four  minutes  behind  his  mate. 

When  the  male  did  come  at  last  and  deliver  food,  he  gave  the  nest  a  good  cleaning, 
and  flew  off  to  a  corn  patch  a  hundred  yards  away.  In  thirteen  minutes,  during  which 
interval  the  female  had  brought  grasshoppers  twice,  the  male  returned  triumphantly  with 
a  great  cluster  of  writhing  angleworms.  After  safely  dispensing  them,  he  went  the  rounds  of 
inspection,  devoured  the  excreta,  then  stood  for  a  full  minute  on  the  rim  of  his  nest  and 
with  crest  erect  called,  wit  !  wit !  wit !  as  if  to  celebrate  a  victory  and  announce 
his  bravery  to  the  world.  Now  and  again  the  cock  came  to  the  nesting  bough  but  without 
food.  He  wished  only  to  take  a  look  and  see  that  all  was  well.  At  one  of  these  visits 
he  stood  on  silent  guard  for  full  ten  minutes,  then  sped  away  calling  loudly,  wit !  wit ! 
wit ! 

In  the  course  of  the  same  day  a  Robin,  possibly  a  young  bird,  alighted  on  the 
peak  of  the  tent,  surveyed  the  situation,  and  passed  on.  When  eight  days  old,  on 
July  26th,  the  young  began  to  present  their  spotted  breasts  over  the  walls  of  the  nest 
and  to  spread,  stretch,  and  flap  their  wings,  the  quills  of  which  now  showed  half  an 
inch  of  feather  at  the  tips.  At  every  visit  of  their  elders  the  whole  brood  went  wild 
with  excitement,  but  soon  quieted  down,  and  the  intervals  were  spent  in  preening 
their  sprouting  feathers,  calling  for  more  food,  or  dozing  with  heads  hanging  down 
over  the  edge  of  the  nest. 

The  third  day  opened  warm  and  clear,  and  towards  noon  became  very  hot.     Mother 


46 


Wild  Birds. 


Robin  began  to  brood  at  twelve  o'clock  and  for  the  space  of  three  hours  was  on  and  off 
the  nest  constantly,  rarely  remaining  longer  than  ten  minutes  at  a  time  either  at  her 
post  or  away  from  it.  On  the  fourth  day,  July  28th,  which  was  destined  to  be  hotter 
still,  brooding  began  at  exactly  eighteen  minutes  before  ten  o'clock  and  the  mother 
was  quietly  sitting  over  the  little  ones  when  the  tent  was  struck  long  past  noon. 


Fig.  yi.    Cock  Robin  standing  at  inspection,  after  having  fed  his  young. 

Many  charming  scenes  were  enacted  at  this  nest  during  the  day,  but  colored  phrases 
or  colorless  pictures  do  them  scant  justice.  You  must  fill  in  the  backgrounds  of  soft 
blues  and  greens,  and  add  the  touch  of  life  and  color  to  the  actors  on  the  stage. 

The  following  extracts  from  my  notes  of  this  day  may  give  some  idea  of  the  panoramic 
character  of  the  scenes,  in  which  the  element  of  repetition  is  not  wanting. 
July  28,  4th  day  in  tent.     10  A.M.     The  female  comes  to  the  back  of  the  nest,  delivers 
food  and  goes  the  rounds  of  inspection  and  cleaning,  devouring  the  excreta  on  the 
spot,  then  settles  down  on  the  margin  of  the  nest,  steps  in  and  gradually  tucks  the 
young  under  her  breast  and  wings. 

10.12.  A  whirring  sound  announces  the  coming  of  the  male.  He  approaches  always  on 
the  observer's  right,  and  deliberately  hops  down  to  the  nest.  He  is  bringing  a  big 
cluster  of  earthworms.  The  young  get  the  message  the  moment  the  branch  is 
touched,  and  poke  their  heads  out  from  under  their  mother's  tail,  wings,  and  head, 
sometimes  raising  her  bodily,  and  almost  tipping  her  over.  However,  she  holds 


The  Robin  at  Arm's  Length.  47 

her  place  until  her  mate  is  close  by,  then  hops  up  and  stands  to  one  side,  finally 
leaving  him  to  deliver  what  he  has  brought. 

10.15.  The  mother  is  back  with  food,  but  it  was  down  the  throat  of  a  young  one  before 
I  could  tell  what  it  was.      Cleaning  and  brooding  them  followed  in  due  course  as 
before. 

10.18.  Cock  Robin  comes  again,  but  my  eye  was  again  off  the  nest,  and  in  a  moment 
the  business  was  done.  Mother  Robin  stays  and  broods.  I  change  the  shutter, 
open  and  close  the  tent  window  without  giving  her  any  apparent  anxiety. 

10.30.  Another  visit  from  the  male,  who  comes  quickly,  delivers  a  grasshopper  or  two 
and  departs,  while  his  faithful  mate  resumes  her  post  of  duty. 

10.45.  The  cock  brings  another  coil  of  angleworms,  and  the  hen,  leaving  her  charge  just 
long  enough  for  the  business  of  feeding,  drops  back  on  the  nest. 

10.55.  The  male  is  taking  it  easy.  This  time  he  has  an  unusually  large  grasshopper, 
which  is  not  cut  in  twain  but  delivered  whole.  At  the  signal  of  his  approach  the 
mother  leaves,  having  brooded  forty  minutes  by  the  watch. 

10.57.  Two  minutes  elapse.  Back  comes  the  alma  mater,  loaded  to  the  muzzle  with 
blueberries,  which  are  shot  out  one  by  one,  and  strike  the  yellow  targets  in  the 
bull's  eye  every  time.  She  comes  to  the  farther  side  and  broods  at  the  moment 
the  preliminary  work  of  feeding  and  inspection  is  over. 

11.16.  The  male  has  now  brought  a  load  of  bright  red  choke  cherries.      He  hops  down 
the  branch  by  the  usual  path  and  up  to  the  nest,  but  the  female,  who  is  brooding, 
strangely  keeps  her  position  and,  whether  from   absent-mindedness  or  caprice 
refuses  to  budge.     When  the  male  gives  an  impatient  cuck  !  cuck  !  the  mother  can 
keep  her  position  no  longer,  for  the  young  upset  her  equilibrium  in  their  struggle, 
and  she  hops  to  one  side.     Resuming  her  place  she  sits  there  in  the  bright  sun- 
shine,  with  back  to  the  tent,  mouth  agape,  and  crest  erect.      Twenty  inches  away 
are  the  tent,  the  camera,  and  the  eye  of  the  observer,  but  for  none  of  these  things 
does  she  now  care  a  straw.    They  have  been  thoroughly  tested  and  found  harmless. 

1 1.43.  Cock  Robin  is  on  hand  with  a  beak  full  of  grasshoppers  coming,  as  is  now  his  invar- 
iable custom,  to  the  right  side.  On  this  occasion  the  mother  hopped  up  promptly 
and  received  a  part  of  the  food  into  her  own  bill.  Did  she  eat  it  ?  Not  a  particle. 
The  young  got  it  all.  The  male  then  retired,  followed  closely  by  his  mate.  In  one 
minute  she  has  captured  prey  and  is  back  to  her  brood.  The  young  erect  their 
crests  like  their  elders,  and  flapping  their  half-fledged  wings,  try  to  climb  to  the 
edge  of  the  nest,  but  without  success. 

The  last  day  of  July  opened  hot  and  sultry,  and  when  I  approached  the  nest  one 
young  Robin  was  already  out,  and  making  for  the  highest  point  of  the  nesting  bough. 
He  cheeped  aloud  for  food,  and  looked  uncomfortable,  for  the  heat  was  already  strong. 
The  male  only  was  in  attendance  as  on  the  previous  day,  the  female  being  occupied,  as  I 
suspected,  in  starting  a  new  nest. 

It  was  difficult  to  get  any  food  past  this  enterprising  fledgling,  who  stood  in  the  path 
and  took  everything  that  was  brought.  Several  times  the  bird  would  make  a  move 
as  if  intending  to  fly  to  the  peak  of  the  tent,  and  might  have  done  so,  had  I  not  decided 
to  replace  him  in  his  nest.  The  expected  certainly  happened,  for  all  tumbled  out  shriek- 
ing and  squealing.  Put  them  back  and  out  they  would  go  again,  and  flop  down  on  the 


48 


Wild  Birds. 


grass.  At  last  two  birds  consented  to  remain  for  a  few  minutes,  when  the  male  came 
with  an  angleworm  and  a  large  green  katydid.  He  paused  a  moment  while  I  photo- 
graphed him,  and  this  proved  to  be  the  closing  scene.  The  curtain  dropped  suddenly 
when  first  one  bird  and  then  the  other  left  their  home  forever,  not  even  waiting  to  get  the 
katydid.  The  old  bird  at  once  led  his  brood  to  the  woods,  and  being  able  to  take  short 
flights,  they  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  safe  quarters. 

The  number  of  times  the  young  are  fed  in  the  course  of  the  day  depends  upon  their 
age  and  the  weather.  The  older  they  are  the  more  food  they  require.  At  this  nest  the 
labor  of  feeding  and  cleaning  was  shared  about  equally  by  both  birds,  but  on  hot  days 
the  female  was  necessarily  less  active  since  there  was  much  brooding  to  be  done. 

The  following  table  illustrates  the  relative  activities  of  this  pair  in  caring  for  their 
young,  the  time  of  observation  being  approximately  from  nine  o'clock  until  three  in 
the  afternoon. 


PERIOD  OF  OBSERVATION. 

SECOND  DAY. 

THIRD  DAY. 

FOURTH  DAY. 

Age  of  young     

8  days 

9  days 

10  days 

Fed  by  male   

15  times 

24  times 

15  times 

Fed  by  female  

18  times 

28  times 

14  times 

Brooded  by  female  .... 
Rate  of  feeding  

Once  in  11—12  min 

6  times  (44  min.) 
Once  in  7—8  min 

8  times  (2  hours  41  min.) 
Once  in  8—9  min 

Period  of  observation.  .  . 

9.30  A.M.  to  3.53  P.M. 

9.05  A.M.  to  3.44  P.M. 

9.1  1  A.M.  to  1.58  P.M. 

The  nature  of  the  food,  which  depends  much  on  the  local  supply  or  the  condition  of 
the  market,  consisted  mainly  of  grasshoppers  and  angle  worms,  to  which  we  must  add  a  few 
insect  larvae,  beetles,  locusts,  and  katydids,  while  the  list  of  fruits  included  blueberries — 
most  in  favor — choke  cherries,  and  raspberries. 

As  to  the  sanitation  of  the  nest,  inspection,  as  we  have  seen,  follows  each  feeding. 
The  nest  was  cleaned  during  the  period  given  in  the  table  every  fifteen  minutes,  arid 
mostly  by  the  female,  who  devoured  a  part  of  the  excreta  at  the  nest  and  carried  the  rest 
away. 

The  Robin  has  been  known  to  pass  the  winter  in  Nova  Scotia,  where  it  feeds  on  wild 
dry  fruits,  like  dogwood  berries,  and  at  all  intermediate  points  between  its  northern  and 
southern  ranges,  wherever  the  food  supply  is  good.  Thus  in  the  cold  valleys  of  the 
White  Mountains,  where  there  is  snow  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  and  where  the 
mercury  sometimes  freezes,  flocks  of  Robins  are  said  to  spend  the  winter,  feeding  on 
the  wild  berries  which  are  cached  above  the  snow.  The  winter  birds  are  probably  in  most 
cases  migrants  from  farther  north. 

The  food  of  the  Robin  consists,  as  we  have  seen,  of  small  animals,  mainly  insects  and 
worms,  and  of  wild  fruits  in  about  equal  quantity.  It  has  been  shown '  that  cultivated 
fruits  are  eaten  only  as  a  makeshift  and  mainly  in  the  months  of  June  and  July. 

Spring  Robins  reach  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  the  last  days  of  February  or  the  first 
of  March,  central  New  Hampshire  the  third  week  in  March,  and  I  have  seen  them  in  Bur- 


1  By  Beal  who  found  forty-two  per  cent  of  animal  matter  in  three  hundred  and  thirty  stomachs  of  these  birds. 


The  Robin  at  Arm's   Length. 


49 


lington,  Vermont,  on  March  3Oth.  A  few  Bluebirds  are  usually  reported  on  the  same  day. 
In  1900,  Robins  were  heard  or  seen  in  different  parts  of  Cleveland  on  the  ninth  of  March, 
a  mild,  bright  day,  while  but  a  week  before  the  country  was  in  the  grip  of  one  of  the 
worst  ice-storms  ever  known  in  this  region.  Every  exposed  object  was  incased  in  solid 
ice  for  days  and  the  birds  fasted  or  starved. 

In  the  choice  of  a  nesting  site,  the  Robin,  as  we  have  seen,  obeys  no  law.     The 
apple  tree,   which   from   its  mode   of   branching  yields  wide,   open   crotches   and    safe 


Fig.  33.     Female  Robin  in  act  of  cleaning  the  nest. 

horizontal  supports,  is  generally  chosen,  but  they  also  resort  to  the  leafy  elm,  the  ever- 
green, the  dense  and  remote  woods,  or  like  the  Phcebe,  accept  the  hospitality  of  barn, 
porch,  or  shed.  In  the  course  of  one  afternoon  in  Sanbornton,  New  Hampshire,  I  once 
found  six  nests  all  under  cover.  One  was  fixed  to  a  beam  inside  an  old  barn,  already 
occupied  by  Swallows,  the  only  means  of  entrance  and  egress  being  cracks  between  the 
boards  of  the  gable  above  the  haymow.  The  Swallows  shot  with  unerring  aim  through 
these  cracks,  but  one  of  their  full-fledged  young,  which  lay  dead  on  the  hay,  had  appar- 
ently dashed  its  brains  out  in  attempting  this  feat.  In  a  dilapidated  shed  of  another 
barn,  then  abandoned,  were  three  nests,  two  of  which  set  in  line  and  close  together,  were 
doubtless  the  work  of  the  same  builders. 

Where  the  nest  has  already  begun  to  crumble  into  ruins  by  the  time  the  young  fly, 


Wild  Birds. 


it  is  often  abandoned  and  a  new  one  built  for  the  second  brood,  but  whether  a  new  nest 
shall  be  built  or  not  depends  rather  upon  habit  or  caprice  than  actual  need.  The  old 
nest  is  sometimes  repaired,  or  even  occupied  without  change  during  the  same  season. 
On  the  other  hand,  three  nests  are  sometimes  built  in  line  and  under  cover,  where  a  sin- 
gle one  if  put  in  good  repair  would  have  answered  the  purpose.  I  once  saw  a  Robin's 
nest  fixed  to  the  end  of  a  stick  of  wood  that  leaned  against  the  side  of  a  barn,  and  the 
stone-gray  color  of  the  background  formed  an  excellent  screen  for  its  concealment. 

Many  wild  birds, 
such  as  Robins,  Orioles, 
Wrens,  Woodpeckers,  to 
mention  only  a  few 
species,  breed  within  the 
confines  of  cities,  and 
the  question  naturally 
arises,  —  do  the  birds 
come  to  town,  or  does 
the  town  go  to  them  ? 
We  know  how  strong  is 
the  instinct  for  young 
birds  to  return  to  the 
place  of  their  birth,  if 
not  to  the  selfsame  spot, 
at  least  to  the  same 
neighborhood,  and  they 
continue  to  do  this  until 
driven  off  by  enemies  or 
by  hard  times.  My 
house  in  Cleveland  hap- 
pens to  be  placed  in  the 
midst  of  what  was  an 
apple  orchard  of  a  large 
farm  a  generation  ago, 
and  a  few  of  its  ancient 
trees  still  remain  in  the 

back  yard.  Are  the  Robins  which  nest  in  them  to-day  the  descendants  of  the  birds 
which  used  to  come  to  the  old  farm  ?  Possibly,  for  the  birds  will  return,  so  long  as  the 
human  inhabitants  and  the  food  which  their  presence  insures  remain.  In  this  way  many 
birds  have  undoubtedly  grown  into  city  life.  As  the  farm  became  a  part  of  the  village 
and  the  village  was  swallowed  by  the  town,  the  migratory  species,  true  to  their  old  asso- 
ciations, returned  to  their  former  haunts  each  spring.  I  have  known  two  illustrations  of 
this  in  Cleveland,  where  Red-headed  Woodpeckers  clung  to  the  ancestral  tree  until 
enveloped  by  miles  of  city  streets,  and  indeed  until  their  old  home  was  actually 
destroyed. 

On  the  other  hand  it  is  true  that  many  shy  and  timid  birds  often  leave  their  seclusion 
and  come  to  the  haunts  of  man,  and  this  is  not  remarkable  when  we  remember  how  much 


'  34-    Head  of  female  Robin — life  size.     X  a}. 


The  Robin  at  Arm's  Length  51 

individuals  differ  in  relative  tameness  and  wildness,  and  how  rapidly  new  habits  are 
formed. 

As  to  the  abundance  of  food  on  which  bird-life  depends,  some  species,  like  the  Robin, 
would  seem  to  fare  equally  well  in  the  country,  and  as  to  protection,  much  better. 
Young  Robins  have  no  more  persistent  and  fatal  enemy  than  cats,  and  every  one  who 
has  possessed  a  city  yard  knows  to  what  extent  it  is  overrun  by  tommies  and  tabbies. 
In  the  city  also  one  has  to  reckon  with  the  large  floating  population  of  famished 
vagrants,  which  the  biological  laboratory  is  never  able  to  fully  claim.  They  are  also  on 
hand  to  rake  the  young  broods  out  of  the  nests,  and  pick  up  the  fledglings  which  are 
frightened  off  prematurely  and  drop  to  the  ground.  Though  forced  to  build  high,  city 
Robins  find  it  impossible  to  get  beyond  the  reach  of  some  rough-and-ready  climbers  of 
whom  Jan  Steen  was  a  shining  example,  and  were  every  thomas  as  fearless  and  expert  in 
tree-climbing  as  he,  this  race  of  birds  would  soon  be  driven  out  or  exterminated. 
Some  Robins  used  to  nest  in  the  very  top  of  a  neighboring  apple  tree,  but  Jan  found 
them  out  and  watched  their  actions  attentively  from  day  to  day.  One  fine  afternoon  he 
decided  to  bring  down  the  whole  brood.  He  had  climbed  to  the  tree  top  and  was  claw- 
ing at  the  nest,  when  fortunately  his  plans  and  equilibrium  were  upset  in  the  nick  of 
time  by  a  well-directed  missile. 

Although  the  Robin  is  one  of  our  most  common  birds  its  gregarious  habits  seem  to 
have  attracted  little  attention  until  Mr.  Brewster's  account  appeared  in  1890.  His 
record  for  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  extends  back  to  1867.  At  one  roost  he  esti- 
mated the  number  of  birds  at  25,000  (August  4,  1875).  The  old  males  and  first 
broods  in  spotted  plumage  compose  these  assemblages  during  the  second  and  third  weeks 
of  June.  By  the  middle  of  July  the  movement  becomes  more  general  and  by  August 
ist,  the  roost  is  made  up  of  young  and  old  of  both  sexes  and  of  all  conditions.  Mr. 
Faxon  saw  a  male  after  feeding  its  young  fly  off  to  its  roost  one  and  one  fourth  miles  away 
at  7.30  P.M.,  while  the  female  apparently  remained  for  the  night  and  brooded  her  young. 

These  local  associations  seem  to  be  based  upon  the  instinct  of  protection  and 
sociability,  and  it  is  important  to  observe  that  the  old  lead  the  way  while  the  young 
follow,  suggesting,  as  Mr.  Brewster  remarks,  what  usually  takes  place  in  the  annual 
migration.1 

A  winter  Robin  roost,  in  a  swamp  of  matted  reeds,  resorted  to  at  night  by  thousands 
of  birds,  has  also  been  described  in  Missouri.  At  daybreak  the  host  dispersed  in  all 
directions,  some  going  fifty  miles  to  their  feeding  grounds." 

1  The  Auk,  vol.  vii.,  October,  1890.  *  O.  Widmann  ;  The  Auk,  vol.  xii.,  1805. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  CEDAR-BIRD. 

ON  the  twenty-seventh  of  May,  I  saw  a  small  company  of  birds  settling  in  the  top- 
most branches  of  an  elm.  You  might  infer  from  their  behavior  that  they  were 
new  arrivals.  They  keep  together,  sit  prim  and  erect,  and  move  about  as  if 
under  discipline.  With  a  glass  you  can  see  their  erected  crests,  their  sleek  drab  plumage, 
and  recognize  at  once  the  familiar  Cedar  or  Cherry  Bird. 

At  Northfield,  New  Hampshire,  the  earliest  nests  have  eggs  by  the  first  or  second 
week  in  June,  but  the  breeding  season  is  not  at  its  height  until  the  last  of  July  or  August. 
A  few  still  have  young  in  the  nest  in  early  September,  when  many  are  flocking  or  have 
already  started  southward.  Professor  Baird  speaks  of  finding  these  birds  sitting  on  their 
unhatched  eggs  as  late  as  the  twelfth  day  of  October. 

The  winter  flocks  of  Cedar  Waxwings,  which  are  occasionally  seen  in  Northern  New 
England,  are  probably  migrants  whose  summer  home  is  farther  north. 

The  Cedar-birds  borrow  no  trouble  from  their  neighbors,  and  seem  to  lead  a  life  of 
ease  and  pleasure,  lessening  their  denominator  when  the  times  are  hard,  but  living  high 
when  cherries  are  ripe.  The  nesting  season,  which  brings  much  that  is  sweet  and  bitter 
to  the  lives  of  most  birds,  appears  to  give  them  the  least  anxiety.  The  immaturity  of 
their  eggs  at  a  time  when  most  of  our  birds  have  already  reared  their  first  broods  is  a 
striking  fact,  and  is  due  to  some  unknown  cause  which  retards  the  growth  of  the  ovaries. 
It  is  evidently  not  caused  by  a  lack  of  suitable  food  as  some  have  supposed,  since  the 
case  of  the  Goldfinch  is  similar.  The  young  Cedar-bird  gets  about  the  same  kind  of  food 
as  the  young  Robin  or  Oriole,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  a  greater  or  less  amount  of  fruit  in 
the  diet  of  old  or  young  would  sensibly  alter  their  condition.  So  quiet  and  retired  is  the 
Cedar-bird,  it  may  live  in  comparative  seclusion  although  not  three  rods  from  your  house, 
and  may  remain  on  your  grounds  for  the  whole  summer  unnoticed,  unless  some  one  is  on 
the  watch,  so  that  the  name  "chatterer"  formerly  applied  to  the  family,1  can  have  only 
an  ironical  significance  in  this  least  garrulous  of  birds.  The  fondness  of  this  bird  for  the 
berries  of  the  red  cedar  and  for  cherries  is  responsible  for  two  of  its  commonest  names, 
while  the  term  "  waxwing  "  has  reference  to  the  peculiar  horny  scales  of  the  secondary 
wing-quills,  which  look  as  if  tipped  with  red  sealing-wax.  Less  commonly,  the  tail  also 
bears  similar  appendages,  but  there  is  much  variation  in  their  appearance  in  both  old  and 

1  This  epithet  is  said  to  have  been  first  applied  to  the  Bohemian  Waxwing,  because  of  its  Latin  name,  Ampelis 
garrulus,  the  specific  term  garrulus  having  been  suggested  by  the  crest  and  slight  resemblance  in  the  color  of  this 
bird  to  the  European  Jay,  Garrulus  glandarius.  See  Schufeldt,  Chapters  on  the  Natural  History  of  the  United 
States. 

52 


The  Cedar  Bird. 


53 


young.     Most  of  the  birds  which  I  have  studied  at  the  nest  have  been  entirely  lacking  in 
appendages  of  this  kind. 

Late  in  spring  the  Cedar-birds  are  seen  coursing  about  in  small  squads,  selecting  some 
treetop  for  an  observatory,  and  always  showing  the  most  marked  uniformity,  there  being 
little  to  distinguish  the  sexes  either  in  size  or  color.  Their  plump  oval  forms  and  easy, 
undulating  flight  are  characteristic,  and  their  manner  of  flying  and  perching  in  compact 
bodies  as  one  bird  should  not  escape  the  observer.  Apple  trees  of  moderate  size  are  in 
high  favor,  since  they  afford 
such  fine  opportunities  for 
nest-building,  and  are  usually 
surrounded  by  good  feeding 
grounds. 

Two  summers  ago  some 
Waxwings  built  on  the  hori- 
zontal bough  of  a  pine  tree, 
just  above  a  Robin's  nest. 
Song  Sparrows  and  Chipping 
Sparrows  also  occupied  the 
same  tree.  They  usually  fre- 
quent scrubby  pastures,  select- 
ing the  witch-hazel,  or  thorn- 
apple  bushes  by  preference, 
and  occasionally  a  small  sap- 
ling oak  or  maple.  The  nest 
is  either  set  in  a  fork  or  sad- 
dled to  a  spreading  branch,  at 
a  height  of  from  five  to  twenty 
feet.  It  is  nicely  wrought  from 
vegetable  and  animal  material 
such  as  dead  grass,  roots,  fine 
twigs,  weed-stems,  pine  need- 
les, wool,  yarn,  and  twine.  A 
nest  built  in  an  orchard  was 
composed  of  dead  clover  stems, 
witch  grass,  with  thistle-down 
and  the  fluffy  heads  of  the  In- 

j-          ,     i  i        ,  •  Fig.  35.     Cedar-bird  chorus  at  the  most  exciting  moment  just  before  food 

Ciian  tODaCCO,  a    plant    growing  ig  servedi  August6i  I8g9>  two  days  before  flight  and  the  development  of  the 

Close    by,  Worked    Over    its    rim  sense  of  fear.     Life-size  X  3- 

and  interior. 

Four  or  five  eggs  are  ordinarily  laid,  but  the  total  product  of  ten  nests  which  I 
examined  in  1899  was  only  thirty-six  eggs,  out  of  which  about  twenty-five  young  were 
hatched  and  from  sixteen  to  twenty  reared. 

The  parental  instincts  during  the  early  days  of  nest-building  and  incubation  are  often 
weak,  and  this  is  shown  to  a  marked  degree  in  the  Cedar-bird,  who  is  easily  robbed  and 
ever  ready  to  take  fright  and  abandon  its  eggs. 


54 


Wild  Birds. 


During  the  month  of  July  a  pair  began  to  collect  nesting  material  in  an  apple  tree  in 
full  view  from  our  porch,  and  I  frequently  watched  them  at  work  through  an  opera-glass, 
and  once  or  twice  passed  under  their  tree.  This  inspection  of  their  private  affairs  pleased 
them  so  little  that  they  left  their  completed  nest,  and  moved  to  the  adjoining  field  a  few 
rods  away,  where  there  was  less  publicity,  and  where  five  eggs  hatched  out  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  August.  A  nest  built  in  a  young  oak  tree  in  a  remote  clearing  was  discovered 

on  August  Jth,  when  it 
contained  a  single  egg.  I 
did  not  see  the  old  birds 
on  this  occasion  and  heard 
but  a  faint  sound,  which 
was  evidently  a  murmur  of 
remonstrance  since  their 
nest  was  promptly  for- 
saken. 

I  have  camped  beside 
four  different  nests  of  the 
Cedar  Waxwings,  and  after 
having  spent  nearly  a  week 
in  watching  the  behavior 
of  both  old  and  young 
birds  at  short  range,  feel 
that  I  know  by  heart  most 
of  their  nesting  habits. 

There  is  a  certain  rou- 
tine or  etiquette  which  is 
observed  by  all  birds  at  the 
nests.  Certain  duties  must 
be  performed  over  and 
over,  such  as  the  capture 
of  prey,  bringing  it  and  dis- 
tributing it  to  the  young, 
inspecting  and  cleaning 
the  household,  besides 
brooding  the  young,  es- 
pecially during  the  early 
days  of  life  in  the  nest.  To 

record  each  visit  made  and  every  recurring  act  performed  by  the  birds  would  make  tedi- 
ous reading,  but  strange  to  say  it  never  seems  monotonous  to  the  observer.  As  the 
young  birds  grow  older,  and  begin  to  stand  on  the  rim  of  the  nest,  they  furnish  ample 
excitement,  and  while  their  theme  is  always  the  same,  it  is  delivered  with  innumerable 
variations. 

The  method  of  controlling  the  nesting  site  was  first  suggested  by  some  Cedar-birds, 
whose  nest  of  four  eggs  was  in  a  thorn-apple  bush,  and  about  seven  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  main  stem  supporting  the  nest  was  cut  off,  and  fixed  firmly  in  the  soil  at  a  height  of 


Fig.  36.      The  female  Cedar-bird  broods,  while  the  male  passes  the   cherries 
around.     He  stands  at  the  back  with  his  gullet  loaded  and  a  berry  in  bill. 


The  Cedar  Bird. 


55 


three  to  four  feet.  On  returning  to  the  spot  two  days  later,  I  was  pleased  to  find  that  all  had 
gone  well.  After  getting  the  tent  up  it  was  not  many  minutes  before  a  low-murmured 
tr-c-c-e-e-k  !  or  zc-e-e-e-t !  was  heard,  to  which  the  young  always  responded  in  a  similar 
strain.  Approaching  cautiously  with  throat  loaded  to  the  brim  with  choke  cherries,  the 
mother  bird  delivered  them  one  by  one,  and  then  inspected  and  cleaned  her  household. 

After  a  longer  interval  the  pair  came  and  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  nest.  There  was 
nothing  in  their  bills,  but 
their  gullets  were  crammed 
full  of  blueberries,  and 
after  tantalizing  the  suppli- 
cating young  for  a  mo- 
ment, up  went  a  head,  and 
presto  !  out  came  a  berry, 
which  was  quickly  placed 
in  an  open  throat,  and 
passed  around  until  it  was 
promptly  swallowed.  Up 
went  the  head  again,  and 
the  performance  was  re- 
peated. It  was  like  a  ma- 
gician shaking  eggs  from  a 
bag,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  no  limit?  to  its  capacity. 
Many  who  have  witnessed 
such  actions  have  supposed 
that  the  old  birds  were 
attempting  to  distribute 
the  food  without  partiality 
to  their  hungry  children, 
but  this  is  not  the  case.  It 
is  all  a  question  of  nervous 
reaction.  The  food  is  not 
simply  placed  in  the  mouth 
but  pressed  well  down  into 
the  sensitive  throat,  which 
promptly  responds  unless 
the  gullet  is  already  full. 

The  old  bird  watches  the  result  intently,  and  if  the  food  is  not  taken  at  once  it  is  passed 
from  one  to  another  until  a  throat  with  the  proper  reaction  time  is  found.  The  move- 
ments of  the  bird  are  so  rapid,  and  the  berry  is  so  often  quickly  withdrawn,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  make  an  accurate  count.  Usually  from  six  to  eleven  blueberries  and  almost 
as  many  choke  cherries  are  thus  carried  in  the  gullet.  Wilson,  who  noticed  the  disten- 
sibility  of  the  gullet  of  this  bird,  which  will  take  from  twelve  to  fifteen  cedar  berries  at 
a  time,  thought  that  it  served  as  a  crop  to  prepare  the  food  for  digestion.  The  berries 
and  insects,  it  is  true,  often  come  up  crushed  to  a  pulp  and  reeking  with  slime,  but  it  is 


Fig.  37.     Tantalizing  the  young.     The  mother  Cedar-bird  has  come  with  food, 
but  hesitates  to  advance  and  deliver  it.     Compare  with  Fig.  38. 


Wild  Birds. 


not  likely  that  the  oesophagus  serves  any.  other  purpose  than  a  temporary  receptacle  for 
the  food. 

When  the  berries  had  gone  the  rounds,  both  birds  would  suddenly  leave  the  nest 
with  a.whisk.  Again  one  would  hear  their  murmuring  call,  tr-e-e-e-e-k  !  growing  more  dis- 
tinct as  they  came  nearer.  Then  both  would  alight  on  the  nest  rim,  and  stand  there  a 
moment  like  statuettes  with  heads  erect.  After  regurgitating  the  food  and  distributing 
it,  they  keenly  eye  everything  in  the  nest,  snap  up  the  excreta  from  each  bird  in  turn, 

swallow  it,  and  are  off. 
The  young  sat  or  stood  on 
the  nest  with  heads  up  and 
all  pointed  oneway.  Pres- 
ently, every  black  bead- 
like  eye  was  alert ;  four 
scarlet-orange  mouths 
opened  at  the  same  mo- 
ment, and  four  necks  were 
stretched  now  to  this  side, 
now  to  that,  whence  came 
the  least  sound.  When 
their  parents  actually  ap- 
proached with  their  low- 
whispered  call,  they  would 
huddle  together  and 
stretch  their  legs,  wings, 
and  whole  bodies  to  the 
utmost.  Then  would  arise 
such  a  chorus  of  supplicat- 
ing cries  as  no  parent  could 
resist.  Touch  but  a  twig 
and  the  nest  presents  an 
even  livelier  spectacle. 
The  young  fairly  tumble 
over  each  other,  while 
their  wings,  heads,  and 
bodies  vibrate  with  an 
intensity  of  desire  which 
their  eager  voices  can  only 
feebly  express.  Two  days 
ago  these  young  lay  quietly 

in  their  nest,  and  when  touched  showed  absolutely  no  fear,  but  to-day  the  instinct  of  fear 
had  possessed  them,  and  when  approached,  all  hopped  off  the  nest  and  hid  in  the  grass. 
Another  Waxwing  family  was  discovered  on  August  I5th,  in  the  crotch  of  a  witch- 
hazel  bush  seven  feet  up,  in  the  same  pasture  with  the  Red-eyed  Vireos  whose  history  is 
yet  to  be  told,  and  not  many  rods  from  their  nest.  A  touch  to  the  branch  brought  off 
the  mother,  who  was  brooding  three  tender  young  barely  two  days  out  of  the  shell- 


Fig.  38.  Female  Cedar-bird  prepared  to  regurgitate  food  from  the  gullet. 
Notice  the  outlines  of  the  neck,  which  mark  the  full  throat.  "Twenty  min- 
utes later,  the  last  fledgling  had  left  the  nest."  August  25,  1899. 


The  Cedar  Bird. 


57 


After  a  short  interval,  during  which 
I  went  to  get  a  notebook  and  pencil, 
this  bird  was  back  again,  and  once 
more  her  jet-black  eye  and  clean-cut 
profile  appeared  above  the  nest.  I 
had  sat  down  but  a  moment  when 
the  male  flew  past,  and  gave  an  alarm 
which  brought  off  his  mate  in  a  flash. 
Both  then  alighted  in  the  tops  of 
neighboring  trees,  and  standing  erect, 
uttered  their  low  responsive  call- 
notes. 

Six  days  later — August  2 1st — 
the  bush  was  removed  a  rod  away 
and  the  tent  placed  beside  it  at  nine 
o'clock.  The  familiar  calls  of  both 
birds  were  now  heard  and  in  just 
thirty-five  minutes  from  the  time  of 
closing  the  tent  a  soft  whirring  of 
wings  announced  the  mother  bird, 
who  alighted  near  the  nest.  She 


Fig.  40.      After  feeding  the  young — the  gullet  empty.      Notice 
the  "sitting"  posture,  and  compare  curves  of  throat  in  Fig.  39. 


Fig.  39.     Female  Cedar-bird  ready  to  feed   young 
by  regurgitation— gullet  stuffed  with  cherries. 

approached  cautiously,  as  an  intelligent 
bird  should  do,  surveying  the  situation 
at  every  step,  and  finally  landed  on  the 
nest.  After  a  momentary  pause  she  be- 
gan tossing  up  her  head  and  producing 
black  cherries  which  were  judiciously 
placed,  one  at  a  time,  in  the  throats  of 
her  nestlings.  Then  a  thorough  inspec- 
tion followed,  and  the  sanitary  condition 
of  the  establishment  was  insured  by  the 
method  already  described,  after  which 
the  mother  remained  a  full  minute  ;  then 
with  a  low  whistle  she  sped  away.  At 
her  next  visit  she  began  to  shield  her 
young  from  the  growing  heat.  With 
half-spread  wings  and  with  back  to  the 
sun  the  mother  protected  her  little  ones 
for  a  full  hour  from  the  broiling  sun, 
while*  her  mate  came  repeatedly  and 
handed  out  the  cherries. 

The    Cedar-bird     will    pant    with 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig.  41.     Regurgitating  food.    Up  goes  the  head, 
and  presto  !  out  conies  a  berry. 


trees,  close  by  our  house.  Taking 
the  hint  I  placed  a  quantity  of  red 
and  blue  yarn  on  the  branches,  and 
on  some  bean  poles  near  the  nesting 
site.  Every  thread  was  taken  from 
the  fir  and  worked  into  what  became 
a  very  gay  mansion.  It  was  placed 
on  a  spreading  apple  bough,  at  a 
fork  in  the  limb  and  between  upright 
shoots,  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground. 
The  blue  yarn  was  in  excess  of  the 
red,  but  I  am  sure  this  meant  nothing 
to  the  birds.  They  simply  took  what 
was  provided,  and  had  all  been  red, 
it  would  have  been  accepted. 

These  birds  were  most  expedi- 
tious, for  in  two  days  the  last  straw 
was  in  place,  and  in  six  days  from 
the  start  four  eggs  had  been  laid  and 
incubation  begun.  Ten  days  later 
three  of  these  eggs  had  hatched  into 


mouth  agape  when  uncomfortably 
warm,  but  is  never  seen  to  erect  the 
feathers  generally,  as  many  birds  do 
in  order  to  keep  cool.  Nothing  es- 
caped that  came  within  range  of  their 
sharp  eyes  and  bills.  One  of  the 
photographs  shows  the  male  on  the 
farther  side  of  the  nest  with  cherry  in 
beak  and  full  neck,  while  the  mother, 
with  back  to  the  camera,  gives  her 
neck  a  peculiar  twist  and  looks  be- 
hind her.  While  I  was  watching  the 
performance,  a  bird  of  another  spe- 
cies, which  I  was  unable  to  recognize, 
dashed  up,  alighted  for  a  moment  on 
the  top  of  my  tent,  and  giving  out  a 
harsh  chatter,  disappeared. 

One  day  in  July  I  happened  to 
see  a  Cedar-bird  tugging  at  the  frayed 
ends  of  a  cord  which  had  been  fast- 
ened to  a  branch  of  one  of  the  fir 


Fig.  42.     She  hears  a  suspicious  sound. 


The  Cedar  Bird. 


59 


young  birds,  while  one  was  addled.  Born 
/blind,  naked,  and  helpless,  the  Cedar-bird 
'  begins  to  see  when  three  days  old,  through 
narrow  slits  which  gradually  open,  and 
expose  the  eyes  to  full  light.  When  this 
nest  was  touched  the  young  would  raise 
their  tremulous  heads  aloft,  and  with  red 
mouths  opened  wide,  express  in  silence 
the  simple  sign  language  of  newly  hatched 
birds.  One  of  the  brood  mysteriously  dis- 
appeared, so  that  eventually  only  two 

^were  raised,  and  this  recalls  the  loss  of  a 
/ 

^  young  bird  from  the  first  nest  which  was 
built  by  the  same  pair.  When  evil  befalls 
a  nestling,  the  parents  either  remove  its 
body  or  abandon  the  whole  family.  The 
latter  course  is  seldom,  if  ever,  followed 
after  the  eggs  have  all  been  hatched. 

Bough  and  nest  in  this  case  were  re- 
moved on  August  23d,  when  the  young 
were  between  eight  and  nine  days  old. 


I 

7 


4, 


.'-'  •  '    '  /  I 

!•    :  -     '     - 

" 


Fig.  44.     Standing  at  inspection  :  a  characteristic  pose. 


43'     Cedar-bird  listening  intently  while  inspecting  nest. 


They  were  set  up  on  a  hillside,  in  an 
exposed  position,  with  a  house  on 
one  hand  and  a  public  drive  and 
monument  on  the  other,  but  the  birds 
stood  it  well,  as  the  photographic 
record  shows.  (Figs.  37,  38.) 

Owing  to  unfavorable  weather 
the  tent  was  not  used  until  the  after- 
noon of  August  25th.  In  a  few  min- 
utes, the  female  was  on  the  nesting 
bough,  coming  and  going,  but  finally 
kept  her  perch  and  examined  the 
situation  critically.  Something  un- 
usual had  happened  full  of  signifi- 
cance to  herself  and  family,  but  it 
was  an  enigma  hard  to  solve.  Silence 
at  last  brought  assurance,  as  it  usually 
does  in  such  cases.  She  approached 
nearer,  pausing  at  every  step,  until 
she  could  no  longer  resist  the  mag- 
netic influence  of  the  calling  young- 
sters, who  fairly  palpitated  in  their 
eager  desire  for  food.  At  this  nest 


6o 


Wild  Birds. 


the  young  gave  the  call-notes  repeatedly,  but  the  old  birds  usually  approached  without  a 

sound,  and  were  never  both  at  the  nest  at  the  same  time.      On  the  next  day  the  mother 

..'.,•.-  bird  was  feeding  the  young  befofe  I 

could  set  up  the  tent.  Both  birds 
came  frequently  bringing  black  cher- 
ries and  grasshoppers.  At  each  feed- 
ing the  following  order  of  events  was 
usually  observed  :  the  parent  sounds 
the  call-note  at  a  distance,  to  which 
the  young  reply,  but  observes  strict 
silence  in  drawing  near;  the  young 
are  fed,  inspected,  and  cleaned  ;  the 
old  bird  flies  to  a  convenient  perch, 
rubs  the  bill  clean,  plumes,  and  speeds 
off  to  the  nearest  cherry  trees. 

In  the  course  of  the  forenoon 
these  fledglings  became  very  restless, 
and  as  the  heat  from  the  sun  increased, 
one  crawled  out,  sat  in  the  shadow 
of  the  leaves,  and  finally  dropped  to 
the  grass.  Here  it  was  immediately 
fed,  and  then  hopped  away  surprisingly 
fast.  The  male  enticed  it  along,  and 
thereafter  took  care  of  it,  while  the 
mother  returned  to  her  remaining  nest- 
ling. Twenty  minutes  later,  the  last 
fledgling  had  left  the  nest,  never  to  return,  and  the  curtain  was  immediately  rung 
down.  The  young  had  spent  exactly  two  weeks  in  their  temporary  home,  and  had  the 
weather  been  cooler  they  might  have  tarried  at  least  two  days  longer. 

At  this  age  the  crest  is  not  very  prominent,  and  instead  of  the  jet-black,  triangular 
band  which  surrounds  the  eye  in  an  old  bird,  the  crown  of  the  head  is  encircled  by  a 
light  band,  passing  above  the  eye.  At  the  age  of  ten  days,  or  a  little  earlier,  the  tubes 
of  the  wing-quills  burst,  and  the  red  wax-like  tips  of  the  secondaries,  when  present  at  all, 
also  appear,  or  at  least  did  appear  in  the  young  from  this  nest. 

When  about  ready  to  fly  and  waiting  to  be  fed  the  young  have  the  peculiar  habit 
already  noticed  of  standing  erect  with  upturned  heads.  A  nest  of  these  birds,  in 
this  attitude  makes  a  curious  picture.  Any  danger  signal  is  now  likely  to  bring 
them  off  in  an  instant.  This  particular  brood  had  their  abode  in  a  pine  tree  close  to  our 
house.  On  July  i/th,  shortly  before  the  picture  was  made,  the  family  of  five  was  stand- 
ing bolt  upright,  all  facing  one  way,  as  if  under  military  discipline.  When  their  branch 
was  touched  all  but  the  two  shown  in  Fig.  1 17  gained  the  nearest  trees  in  their  first  flight 
and  escaped.  This  pair  came  to  the  ground,  and  were  replaced  in  the  nest.  In  their  second 
attempt  made  ten  minutes  later,  the  larger  of  the  two  birds  was  more  successful.  It  flew 
to  the  roof  of  the  barn,  not  far  above  it,  and  after  hopping  to  the  ridge-pole,  made  the 
upper  branches  of  a  tall  elm.  In  the  larger  of  the  two  birds  the  black  band  of  velvety 


Fig.  45.     Devouring  the  excreta  :   an  unusual  attitude. 


The  Cedar  Bird. 


61 


feathers  has  appeared  in  front  of  the  eye  and  replaces  the  fawn-colored  fillet  already 
mentioned.  This  change  takes  place  in  about  four  days. 

The  fourth  and  in  many  ways  the 
most  interesting  nest  was  built  in  a 
pine,  some  account  of  which  has  al- 
ready been  given,  in  illustrating  the 
change  of  the  nesting  site.  I  watched 
these  birds  over  ten  hours  from  the 
tent,  saw  a  great  many  interesting 
sights,  and  made  a  long  series  of  pic- 
tures. 

The  young  at  this  nest  were  vis- 
ited and  fed  forty-seven  times  during 
an  interval  of  exactly  ten  hours  and 
forty-seven  minutes,  on  three  differ- 
ent days.  On  the  last  day  they  were 
fed  on  the  average  once  in  ten  min- 
utes. The  food  consisted  of  choke 
cherries  and  red  bird  cherries,  varied 
with  raspberries,  blackberries,  and 
blueberries,  together  with  insects 
which,  during  the  last  days  of  life  at 
the  nest,  constituted  about  one  quar- 
ter of  the  fare.  At  one  half  the 
number  of  visits  recorded,  fruit  alone 
was  served.  From  six  to  ten  cher- 
ries were  brought  in  the  gullet  at  a 

time,  and  once  by  count  eleven  blueberries.  Feeding  was  effected  almost  always 
by  regurgitation  in  whole  or  part,  and  rarely  was  any  food  visible  when  the  birds 
came  to  the  nest.  Now  and  then,  however,  a  bird  would  approach  loaded  to  the  muzzle, 
with  a  berry  or  insect  in  the  bill  to  round  out  the  measure.  Soft  fruits  like  raspberries 
were  crushed  to  a  pulp,  and  insects  which  are  commonly  served  with  the  berries, 
came  up  covered  with  saliva,  and  often  in  an  unrecognizable  state.  The  staple  animal 
food  was  grasshoppers  and  I  have  seen  the  large  cicada  or  harvest-fly  brought  to  the 
nest,  but  never  dragon-flies,  butterflies,  or  moths.  The  cicada  made  a  lively  struggle 
for  a  few  minutes ;  it  was  placed  in  one  open  throat  after  another  and  withdrawn  eight 
different  times,  before  a  gullet  was  found  capable  of  the  proper  reaction  time.  If  a  bird 
was  slow  he  lost  his  chance,  and  another  was  tried.  The  key  was  at  last  fitted  to  the 
lock,  and  the  bruised  and  battered  cicada  was  taken  in,  but  the  old  bird  had  not  finished 
her  task.  She  began  tossing  up  her  head  and  producing  bird  cherries.  Then  she  gave 
the  nest  a  thorough  renovation.  In  doing  this  the  mother  often  walks  around  the  rim, 
and  attends  to  each  nestling  in  succession,  sometimes  even  inspecting  one  bird  more  than 
once. 

At    first  I   found    it   difficult   to   tell   the   old    birds   apart    until   I   noticed   a  dis- 
tinguishing  mark   on   the   female,  who  had  a  little  bare  spot  where  the  feathers  had 


Fig.  46.     Cleaning  the  nest.     When  the  young  are  fed,  the  duty  of 
the  old  bird  is  but  half  done. 


62 


Wild  Birds. 


come  out,  on  the  right  side  in  front  of  the  wing.     This  shows  plainly  in  many  of  the 
photographs. 

As  I  have  said  in  another  place,  the  female 
would  often  fly  direct  to  the  tent  and  alight  on 
the  end  of  the  ridge-pole  just  above  the  nest. 
Here  she  would  pause  a  moment,  then  go  to  her 
young.  Should  they  fail  to  respond  promptly, 
she  gives  a  peculiar  clucking  sound,  a  habit  com- 
mon to  many  species,  which  is  the  stimulus  ap- 
plied as  a  last  resort.  At  this  signal  every  mouth 
is  opened  wide,  even  if  the  gullet  is  already  full. 
Indigestible  substances  pass  through  the  alimen- 
tary canal,  and  are  never  regurgitated  in  either 
young  or  adults. 

Cedar  Waxwings  have  been  seen  in  the  act 
of  sipping  maple  sap  in  March,  either  standing 
near  a  broken  twig  and  reaching  round  to  pick 
off  the  drops  from  the  underside  or  hovering 
over  the  spot  and  taking  sips  while  on  the 
wing.1 

Towards  the  last  of  August,  small  flocks 
of  Cedar-birds  are 
moving  about  in 
search  of  food, 
the  low  murmur  of 
their  call-notes  be- 
ing audible  for  a 
moment  only  as 
they  pass  over- 
head. They  know 
when  the  wild  cher- 
ries are  ripe,  and 
never  fail  to  visit 

the  trees  skirting  the  fields.     The  black  cherry  tree  is  a  pleas- 
ant sight,  when  laden  with  the  pendant  racemes  of  black  cher- 


Fig.  47.  Young  Cedar-bird  from  nest  shown  in 
Figs.  39-46 :  photographed  on  the  morning  of  flight, 
July  19,  igoo.  The  bird  was  not  touched,  but  occu- 
pies a  natural  perch,  chosen  by  himself. 


ries,  its  tremulous  foliage  shining  in  the  sun,  with  Robins  and 
Cedar-birds  fluttering  about  it.  Every  good  tree  is  an  aviary 
when  its  fruit  is  ripe  in  late  summer  and  early  autumn.  Both 
old  and  young  are  on  hand.  Then  you  may  see  one  sidle  along 
a  bough,  stretch  its  neck,  wag  its  tail,  and  fondle  another 


Fig.  48.  Cedar-bird  about  thirty-six 
hours  old,  blind,  naked,  and  helpless  : 
characteristic  instinctive  response  to 
any  sound  or  vibration,  as  when  the 
parent  brings  food,  or  the  nest  or 
branch  is  tapped.  Notice  that  the 
bird  rests  on  its  pot-belly,  and  uses 
both  wings  and  legs  for  support.  En- 

with    its   bill.      Their   fine   breezy   call-notes  suggest  the      larged  to  life, 
bleating  of  the  insects  in  the  grass  below.      Tent  caterpil- 
lars spin  large  nests  in  these  trees,  but  the  birds  prefer  the  acid-bitter    fruit   to    the 
insects.     Occasionally  a  bird  will  leave  its  perch,  and  dive  for  an  insect  in  the  air  with  the 
1  For  this  note  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Robert  J.  Sim,  of  Jefferson,  Ohio. 


The  Cedar  Bird.  63 

ease  and  precision  of  a  professional  fly  catcher.  I  have  seen  the  Cedar-bird  either  taking 
the  spider  from  his  web  or  possibly  robbing  him  of  his  prey.  The  birds  peck  at  the  cher- 
ries, pull  them  off,  suck  up  the  juicy  pulp,  but  drop  the  hard  stone.  The  ground  under 
the  trees,  as  well  as  beneath  their  favorite  perches,  is  covered  with  cherry  stones.  Sud- 
denly there  is  a  swirl  of  wings,  and  the  band  moves  off  rapidly  to  try  the  fruit  in  some 
other  quarter. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
RED-EYED  VIREOS. 

THE  moment  I  touched  the  spreading  branch  of  a  witch-hazel  bush  out  flew  a  bird, 
and  the  next  instant  my  eye  rested  on  the  nest  of  a  Red-eyed  Vireo.  It  was 
suspended  between  the  forks  of  a  twig  about  six  feet  from  the  ground,  and  was 
well  protected  and  concealed  by  the  leaves.  It  then  contained  two  young  birds,  four  or 
five  days  old.  After  examining  it  carefully  I  retired,  but  before  doing  so  fixed  a  cord  to 
the  branch  and  drew  down  the  nest  so  that  its  brim  was  horizontal,  and  the  whole  about 
four  feet  from  the  ground,  a  convenient  height  for  future  study. 

The  young  were  quite  naked,  save  for  a  sprinkling  of  light  down  on  their  heads  and 
backs.  They  had  yellow-rimmed  bills,  bright  yellow  throats,  and  were  just  beginning 
to  see  through  the  narrow  vertical  slits,  which  admit  light  gradually  to  the  eyes.  The  old 
birds  betrayed  no  unusual  anxiety,  but  uttered  their  unobtrusive  piort  !  piort !  and  the 
female  soon  approached  with  an  insect.  This  nest  was  surrounded  by  tall  bushes  with 
barely  space  to  pitch  the  tent  in  front  of  it,  and  as  I  decided  to  make  no  further  changes, 
a  somewhat  spotted  leafy  background  was  unavoidable  in  the  pictures.  Coming  again  on 
July  3 1st,  the  tent  was  soon  in  place.  The  female,  who  was  brooding  at  the  time,  flew 
off  quickly,  but  returned  in  a  few  moments. 

These  Vireos  soon  became  quite  unconscious  of  being  observed,  although  literally  as 
near  the  eye  as  one  would  hold  a  book  to  read.  I  spent  parts  of  three  days  on  this  spot 
watching  a  most  fascinating  panorama  of  bird-life.  On  the  third  day  the  tent  was  moved 
up  to  within  eighteen  inches  of  the  nest,  but  my  lack  of  experience  at  this  time  in  photo- 
graphing moving  objects  at  such  close  range  was  the  cause  of  many  failures. 

On  the  first  day  it  required  forty  minutes  to  restore  perfect  confidence,  or  before  the 
affairs  of  the  nest  were  conducted  with  their  usual  regularity.  The  young  raised  their 
heads  aloft  and  called  loudly  for  attention,  or  hung  drowsily  over  the  brim  of  the  nest. 
At  this  time  their  skin  was  dotted  with  the  fine  rapidly  growing  feathers,  and  the  wing- 
quills  looked  like  slender  paint  brushes,  having  just  burst  the  tips  of  the  cylindrical  horny 
tubes  in  which  they  grow. 

The  old  birds  examined  the  situation  carefully.  Their  mournful  piort  !  piort  !  was 
heard  again  and  again,  the  male  answering  his  mate  as  she  deliberately  approached 
the  nest.  After  advancing  many  times,  and  turning  back  as  often  through  fear 
or  distrust,  the  mother  hopped  up  briskly  with  a  bee  in  her  beak.  Her  instinct  to 
care  for  her  young  was  stronger  than  the  male's,  and  she  almost  invariably  approached 
in  the  same  way,  by  the  path  of  the  twig  in  the  fork  of  which  hung  the  nest.  A  smaller 
division  in  the  fork  gave  off  a  still  smaller  branch  close  to  the  nest,  and  upon  this  the 

64 


Red-Eyed  Vireos. 


birds  always  perched,  and  thus  stood  directly  over  their  brood.  Any  vibration  of  the 
nest,  as  when  the  feet  of  the  old  bird  touched  the  main  stem  to  which  it  was  fixed,  or 
any  sound  above  or  below  electrified  the  young,  and  up  popped  their  heads  like  two  jacks 
in  a  box.  With  mouths  wide  agape,  they  would  clamor  and  quaver,  expressing  their  emo- 
tions not  only  by  the  vibration  of  the  wings  but  by  the  shaking  of  the  whole  body. 
But  the  young  at  this  tender  age  are  unable  to  discriminate  with  any  exactness.  The 
quivering  of  a  leaf,  or  the  stirring 
of  a  twig  close  at  hand,  a  puff  of 
wind,  the  flutter  of  a  wing  or  the 
voice  of  any  passing  bird  would 
throw  them  into  the  same  state  of 
excitement.  But  this  was  only 
for  a  moment.  Their  heads  would 
again  drop  listlessly  over  the  wall 
of  the  nest,  arid  with  open  mouths, 
they  would  doze  in  the  sunshine. 
Something  Avould  then  suddenly 
arouse  them,  when  they  would  in- 
stinctively go  to  preening  them- 
selves just  like  old  birds,  although 
they  had  at  this  time  no  feathers 
which  seemed  to  need  this  atten- 
tion. 

Quite  often  you  would  hear 
a  huic  !  huic  !  which  always 
aroused  the  young,  who  would 
tsip  !  back  in  earnest.  While  the 
mother  was  again  coming  slowly 
towards  the  nest  with  a  bee  in  her 
mouth,  another  bee  happened  to 
cross  her  path.  She  darted  after 
it  but  missed  her  aim.  Then,  dis- 
posing of  the  first  insect,  she 
watched  her  young  intently  for  a 
moment,  stooped,  picked  up  a  small  white  package,  and  hurried  away. 

At  one  o'clock  the  old  birds  took  a  midday  rest,  and  it  was  full  twenty  minutes 
before  that  reassuring  piort  !  piort  f  was  heard.  Then  as,  step  by  step,  the  mother  came 
nearer  the  magnet,  the  drawing  power  of  which  was  irresistible,  her  livelier  huic  /  huic  ! 
awoke  the  young,  who  started  and  replied  swit !  szvit  !  Thereupon  the  old  bird  quickly 
hopped  along  the  branch,  straddled  the  fork,  and  tucked  a  large  grasshopper  into  one  of 
the  open  mouths.  In  three  minutes  she  was  back  Avith  another,  this  time  stopping  to 
clean  the  nest  again.  Five  minutes  by  the  watch  had  passed  when  she  returned  with  a 
brown  gray-winged  insect  over  an  inch  long,  which  an  entomologist  might  be  able  to  name 
from  the  photograph.  She  paused  for  a  moment  while  the  young  called  eagerly  and 
stretched  their  necks  to  the  utmost ;  then  she  helped  the  insect  down  the  throat  of  the 


Fig.  49.     Male  Red-eyed  Vireo  standing   at  nest  after  feeding  the 
young.     Life-Size  x  3. 


66 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig  .  50.     Female  Red-eyed  Vireo  ready  to  deliver  a  large  insect. 


Placing  it  well  down  in  a  hungry  throat. 


ig.  52.      Standing  in  characteristic  prone  attitude  of  inspection. 


lucky  bird.  However,  it  stuck 
at  the  gullet,  and  the  little  one 
gulped  hard  before  its  protrud- 
ing wings  had  disappeared. 

As  is  well  known  the  young 
bird  has  wonderful  powers  of 
digestion  and  assimilation,  and 
after  the  first  week  the  rapidity 
of  its  development  becomes 
even  more  striking.  A  lapse  of 
twenty-four  hours  now  means  a 
great  stride  in  growth.  It  takes 

o  ° 

food  almost  constantly  through- 
out the  day,  and  digests  it  quick- 
ly, though  imperfectly.  The 
adult  Vireo  like  the  Flycatcher 
is  said  to  regurgitate  the  indi- 
gestible parts  of  its  food  in 
pellets. 

The  male  Vireo  seldom 
came  with  food,  and  then  al- 
ways with  an  extra  degree  of  cau- 
tion. Twice  he  followed  swiftly 
after  his  mate,  acting  as  herguar- 
dian  while  she  quickly  went  the 
rounds.  The  role  of  the  old 
birds  in  feeding  was  almost  in- 
variably the  same,  as  I  have  in 
part  described.  They  trace  a 
zigzag  line  to  the  nest,  a  straight 
one  from  it.  You  hear  first 
their  responsive  call-notes.  The 
mother  bird  with  insect  ready 
is  in  a  bush  a  rod  away ;  then 
she  comes  a  step  nearer,  and  pau- 
ses ;  her  piort  !  is  now  more  dis- 
tinct. She  slowly  advances,  until 
the  twig  which  holds  the  nest 
is  touched.  Up  go  the  heads 
of  the  young;  they  call  aloud, 
stretch  their  necks  to  every 
side,  gaze  up  to  the  clouds  and 
around  upon  the  leaves.  Then 
as  the  mother  hops  nimbly 
along  the  twig,  and  stands  over 


Red-Eyed  Vireos. 


67 


them,  what  a  picture  of  eager 
desire,  tremulous  impatience, 
and  keen  rivalry  they  present ! 
The  food  is  sometimes  quickly 
placed  in  the  throat  of  one,  and 
as  quickly  withdrawn  to  be  giv- 
en to  another,  and  when  there 
are  more  than  two  it  may  go 
the  rounds  before  it  is  allowed 
to  remain,  a  common  practice 
the  true  meaning  of  which  we 
have  already  seen. 

After  inspection  is  com- 
pleted and  the  nest  cleaned,  the 
parent  bird  flies  to  any  conven- 
ient spot,  carefully  wipes  the 
slime  from  her  bill,  stretches 
her  wings,  and  smoothes  out  all 
the  ruffles  in  her  dress.  These 
birds  always  look  as  sleek  as  a 
new  silk  hat,  every  feather  lying 
smooth  in  its  place. 

One  day  while  in  my  tent, 
a  small  bird  of  another  species 
suddenly  darted  down  upon 
this  nest.  There  was  a  momen- 
tary flutter,  a  clash  of  beaks 
and  claws,  and  the  intruder  was 
promptly  driven  away. 

It  was  always  interesting 
to  watch  the  behavior  of  the 
young  between  the  intervals  of 
feeding.  The  moisture  would 
fairly  glisten  in  their  wide-open 
mouths.  They  snapped  at  every 
ant  and  flying  insect  which  came 
within  their  reach,  but  I  never 
saw  a  single  capture.  The  prey- 
ing instinct  is  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  ancient  among  an- 
imals, and  young  birds  peck 
instinctively  at  all  kinds  of  small 
objects,  but  precision  of  aim 
which  leads  to  success  in  cap- 
turing their  prey  must  be  ac- 


»-ig.  53.     Male  Red-eyed  Vireo  who  is  less  preoccupied   in   performing 
the  same  duty. 


Fig.  54.      Female  Red-eyed  Vireo   approaching  the  young. 


Fig.  55.     Drawing  back  through  timidity. 


68 


Wild  Birds. 


quired  by  practice.  These  young  Vireos  would  often  hang  their  heads  down  over  the 
nest,  and  doze  until  aroused  by  the  piping  of  the  Robin,  or  by  the  call  of  some  other  bird. 
Then  the  mother  would  appear,  with  a  huge  green  katydid,  its  wings  crumpled  and  held 
tightly  in  her  sharp  bill.  It  was  surprising  how  quickly  and  gently  it  was  assisted  down 
one  of  the  hungry  throats. 

At  one  of  his  visits  the  male,  after  cleaning  the  nest  and  young  with  great  care, 
stepped  in  and  settled  down  to  brood.  In  a  moment  two  downy  heads  shot  up  from 
under  his  breast,  and  I  regretted  that  my  camera  was  not  loaded  at  the  moment. 
He  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  displeasure  or  uneasiness,  repeatedly  erecting  and 
lowering  his  crest,  and  puffing  out  his  throat.  With  mouth  wide  open  he  gazed  keenly 
about  him,  and  after  a  few  moments  dashed  off  as  if  in  pursuit  of  an  enemy. 

When  a  large  grasshop- 
per which  had  been  given  to 
a  young  bird  had  made  good 
its  escape,  the  mother  darted 
after  it,  seized  it  before  it  had 
touched  the  ground,  and  you 
may  be  sure  that  there  was 
no  possibility  of  escape  this 
time.  A  grasshopper  was 
sometimes  divided  between 
the  two  young,  but  usually  a 
single  bird  only  was  fed  at  a 
time.  The  male  warbled  his 
pleasant  strains  from  a  branch 
hard  by,  while  the  mother 
hunted  for  insects  in  the 
grass  below.  A  large  brown 

locust  with  yellow  and  black  wings  was  soon  brought  in.  The  adult  Vireos  glean  most 
of  their  animal  food  from  the  foliage  and,  as  might  be  expected,  are  great  caterpillar  de- 
stroyers, but  while  feeding  their  young,  I  frequently  saw  them  exploring  the  grass  as  any 
Robin  or  Song  Sparrow  might  do,  snapping  up  every  insect  which  came  in  their  path. 

On  the  third  day,  when  my  tent  was  but  eighteen  inches  from  the  nest,  the  old  birds 
came  to  it  even  more  readily  than  before.  They  would  still  occasionally  start  at  the 
click  of  the  shutter,  but  they  did  not  mind  the  shrill  scream  of  a  locomotive  across  the 
river,  or  the  rumble  and  splash  of  logs  which  were  momentarily  being  set  free  and  sent 
tumbling  headlong  down  a  steep  slide  into  the  river  below.  They  had  become  used  to 
these  sounds  and  had  learned  from  experience  that  they  were  harmless.  On  this  day,  a 
great  change  seemed  to  have  come  over  the  young.  They  had  become  almost  trans- 
formed in  appearance,  and  were  very  restless.  Their  bodies  were  now  well  covered  with 
feathers,  and  they  were  beginning  to  show  the  first  traces  of  fear.  Their  snow-white 
breasts  gleamed  through  the  thin  walls  of  their  cup-shaped  nest,  or  from  over  its  rim. 
Grasshoppers,  katydids,  green  larvae,  beetles,  and  bugs  of  many  kinds  were  served  again 
and  again,  but  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  there  was  no  fruit  to  vary  this  diet. 
Upon  the  third  day  the  mother  brought  a  ripe  red  raspberry,  its  juice  fairly  streaming 


Fig.  56.     Bending  over  to  feed  young. 


Red-Eyed  Vireos. 


69 


down  her  bill,  and  after  a  few  beetles  had  been  taken,  she  appeared  with  a  large  black- 
berry. Fruit  was  served  to  the  young  about  half  a  dozen  times  in  the  course  of  four 
hours  during  which  watch  was  kept  on  this  particular  day,  but  I  had  not  seen  a  single 
berry  brought  to  the  young  before  this  time. 

On  the  first  two  days  of  observation  the  young  were  fed  on  the  average  of  once  in 
fifteen  minutes,  but  upon  the  third  day  food  was  brought  every  nine  minutes. 

Hitherto  I  had  taken  pains  not  to  touch  the  nest,  but  as  I  approached  for  a  final 
look  at  the  young  at  about  two  o'clock  they  immediately  took  alarm,  and  popped  out  one 
at  a  time.  The  larger  of  the  two  disappeared,  and  was  never  seen  again  by  me,  and 
although  I  replaced  the  smaller  bird  in  its  nest  time  after  time,  it  positively  refused  to 
stay.  Like  the  young  of  so  many  wild  birds,  when  once  they  have  tasted  the  freedom  of 
the  world,  they  seem  to  look  with  disdain  upon  their  old  home.  Although  these  birds 
could  only  flutter  in  their  first 
attempts  at  flight,  they  could 
hop  nimbly  from  branch  to 
branch,  and  thus  ascend  readily 
to  the  tops  of  high  bushes. 

Upon  visiting  the  site  of 
this  nest  on  the  following  day 
one  of  the  young  birds  was  dis- 
covered in  the  grass  less  than 
two  rods  from  its  empty  nest. 
It  was  calling  loudly  for  food, 
and  the  old  birds  were  tending 
it.  A  few  hours  later  I  returned 
in  the  nick  of  time  to  save  its 
life  by  the  capture  of  a  large 
garter  snake  which  in  some  way 
had  discovered  its  opportunity. 

During  the  past    summer, 

a  Vireo's  nest  was  found  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  June,  when  the  female  was  incubat- 
ing two  eggs.  Her  plans  were,  however,  suddenly  interrupted,  apparently  through  her 
own  carelessness.  A  storm  soon  ripped  up  the  nest,  the  walls  of  which  were  unusually 
weak  and  fragile,  and  the  eggs  were  spilled.  This  nest  was  apparently  the  first  of  the 
season,  and  might  have  represented  the  first  attempt  of  a  young  bird.  There  is  the 
possibility,  however,  that  this  was  really  a  second  and  hurried  attempt  at  nest-building, 
due  to  a  former  accident. 

The  snow  and  storms  of  winter  usually  knock  the  bottom  out  of  the  Vireos'  pendant 
nests,  but  some  remain  whole  for  over  a  year.  Wilson  speaks  of  finding  the  nest  of  the 
Yellow  Warbler  built  inside  of  an  old  Vireo's  nest.  The  deer  mouse  sometimes  takes 
possession  of  an  abandoned  nest  in  fall,  and  converts  it  into  a  snug  globular  house  for 
itself  and  young.  I  remember  the  feeling  of  astonishment  which  the  discovery  of  one  of 
these  converted  nests  gave  me  when  a  boy  at  school,  and  of  wondering  to  what  animal 
those  black  lustrous  eyes,  which  appeared  at  the  entrance,  could  belong.  In  this  case  the 
original  framework  was  concealed  by  a  symmetrical  dome  of  thistle-down,  a  substance 


Fig-  57.     Inspecting  cautiously.     Compare  such  attitudes  with  Figs.  50-53, 
which  express  no  fear. 


70  Wild  Birds. 

used  also  in  lining  and  covering  the  original  walls.  There  was  a  small  round  hole  or  side 
entrance,  just  above  the  old  rim.  When  disturbed  this  sleek  little  mouse  left  its  warm 
house,  ran  down  the  branch  and  disappeared. 


Fig.  58-    Young  Red-eyed   Vireos  from  the  nest  shown  on  page  68.     No. 
12  of  table,  p.  n. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  NEST-HOLE  OF  THE  BLUEBIRD. 

THE  mellow  note  of  the  Bluebird  is  a  welcome  sound  on  March  mornings  when  the 
air  is  yet  wintry,  and  the  snow  stands  deep  in  the  woods.     Its  meaning  is  unmis- 
takable, but  to  appreciate  it,  one  must  live  in  the  North  where  spring  means 
literally  "  turning  over  a  new  leaf,"  a  new  order  of  existence.     Should  cold  weather  or 
heavy  snows  return,  the  birds  retire 
for  a  time,  but  promptly  re-appear 
with  better  days. 

Robins,  Song  Sparrows,  Blue- 
birds, and  Phoebes  all  arrive  from  the 
South  during  the  latter  part  of  March, 
and  the  personalities  of  these  birds 
are  too  well  marked  to  be  mistaken. 
On  March  24th,  I  heard  a  bird  call- 
ing from  a  distant  apple  orchard, 
when  it  presently  flew  in  my  direc- 
tion, alighted  on  an  elm  beside  the 
road,  and  repeated  its  low  sweet  call- 
notes  again  and  again.  Through  the 
mist  not  a  feather  could  be  seen,  but 
there  was  no  mistaking  this  plaintive 
voice.  Five  days  earlier  in  the  month 
the  Bluebird  was  seen  at  Northfield, 
thirty  miles  to  the  south.  The  males 
are  first  to  arrive,  coming  singly  or  in 
small  straggling  companies.  As  we 
walk  along  the  desolate  country 
roads,  they  rise  from  wall  and  fence- 
row,  displaying  their  brilliant  azure 
wings,  or  when  flying  overhead  the 

cinnamon  brown  and  white  of  their  under  plumage.  Their  almost  ventriloquial  " phee-ur  " 
note  which  is  heard  as  they  fly  is  not  peculiar  to  any  season. 

When  the  females  come  a  little  later,  the  males  are  in  full  song,  and  the  period  of 
courtship,  which  is  very  ardent  in  the  Bluebird,  begins.      The  affection  and  gallantry  of 

71 


Fig.  59.     Female  Bluebird  taking  a  look  outside,  as  if  hesitating, 
before  going  in  search  of  food. 


Wild  Birds. 


the  Bluebird  have  aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  many  observers.  Unfortunately,  we  are 
obliged  to  add  that  a  case  of  polygamy  in  this  species  has  been  reported.1 

The  choice  of  a  nesting  site  is  made  with  great  care  and  deliberation.  If  they  accept 
the  house  or  box  prepared  for  them,  they  often  have  to  defend  it  against  the  Wren, 
the  Martin,  and  the  House  Sparrow.  Wrens  and  Martins  are  easily  driven  off,  but  the 
pugnacity  of  the  Sparrow,  and  the  greater  numbers  which  he  can  usually  muster 

"  render  all  resistance  hopeless.  An 
abandoned  Woodpecker's  hole  is  not 
disdained  since  it  forms  a  safe,  cozy 
house  which  needs  little  furnishing. 
This  snug  cavern  is  sheltered  from 
sun  and  rain,  and  secure  from  most 
birds  and  beasts  of  prey.  The  rotten 
fence-post,  and  the  many  holes  in  the 
decayed  apple  trees  may  also  contain 
the  secret  of  the  Bluebird's  nest. 

On  August  11,  1899,  I  saw  a  pair 
of  Bluebirds  paying  marked  atten- 
tions to  an  old  "auger-hole"  in  an 
apple  tree,  made  by  Golden-winged 
Woodpeckers.  It  was  plainly  a  case 
of  nest  within  nest.  The  female  was 
carrying  insects  to  her  invisible 
young,  which  I  supposed  at  this  late 
date  were  ready  to  fly,  but,  as  it  af- 
terwards appeared,  they  were  only 
five  days  old.  This  hole  had  been 
nicely  drilled  beneath  the  springing 
branch  of  a  truncated  and  now  dead 
prong  of  the  tree,  fifteen  feet  from 
the  ground. 

When  the  opportunity  first  offered 
on  August  1 5th,  I  sawed  off  the  limb, 
two  feet  from  the  opening,  and  set  it 

Fig.  60.     Female  Bluebird  carrying  grasshopper  to  young.  •  •  t~  e^         r 

up  in    a   convenient   spot    fifty  feet 

away.  It  was  so  arranged  that  the  whole  trunk  could  be  rotated,  and  the  circular 
entrance  of  this  nest  turned  directly  to  the  sun  at  any  time  of  day.  I  had  barely 
left  the  place  to  fetch  the  tent  when  the  mother  bird  flew  from  the  apple  tree  to 
the  stump,  entered  the  hole,  and  having  fed  the  young,  came  out  with  a  small,  white 
parcel  in  her  bill.  This  bird  had  her  eye  on  the  nest,  and  was  ready  to  visit  it  in  its 
new  situation,  when  free  to  do  so.  The  tent  was  placed  two  feet  away,  but  later 
drawn  up  to  a  distance  of  about  eighteen  inches.  After  concluding  these  operations, 
I  had  to  wait  longer  for  the  parent  bird  to  come  again.  When  one  considers  that 
the  nesting  branch  was  suddenly  moved  fifty  feet  from  its  original  position  and 

1  Bulletin  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club,  vol.  via.,  p.  63. 


The  Nest-Hole  of  the  Bluebird. 


fixed  on  the  ground,  and  that  a  tent  was  then  pitched  so  close  to  it  that  the  birds 
could  not  fly  straight  to  the  entrance  but  had  to  flit  first  to  the  trunk,  and  then  go 
around  to  the  hole,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  held  aloof.  I  waited  exactly  one  hour 
and  twenty-five  minutes  before  the  mother  again  brought  food  to  her  young.  Meanwhile 
it  was  interesting  to  see  what  was  happening,  from  a  peep-hole  of  the  tent.  Both  birds 
would  fly  to  the  tree  which  they  had  known  as  their  home,  and  mechanically  go  through 
their  usual  motions  in  approaching 
the  nest,  hopping  first  to  this  branch, 
then  to  that,  following  a  well-defined 
path,  which  they  had  traveled  hun- 
dreds of  times,  and  finally  hover  over 
the  spot  which  was  once  occupied  by 
the  nest,  as  if  to  become  assured 
that  their  eyes  had  not  deceived 
them. 

These  actions  were  repeated  by 
both  Bluebirds  many  times,  while 
they  uttered  their  responsive  phee- 
ur  note.  Again,  calling  eagerly, 
both  would  fly  towards  the  new  po- 
sition of  the  nest.  Finally,  the  fe- 
male, who  in  this  case  assumed  the 
whole  task  of  feeding  the  brood, 
came  to  the  stump,  paused  a  mo- 
ment, quickly  entered  the  hole  and 
came  out  in  hot  haste.  The  absolute 
stillness,  however,  had  restored  confi- 
dence, for  in  five  minutes  she  re- 
turned with  a  huge  green  grasshopper 
and  in  ten  minutes  was  back  again 
with  another.  In  the  course  of 
each  visit  the  plaintive  call  would 
announce  her  presence  as  she  ap- 
proached with  insect  in  bill,  and 
alighted  on  a  half-dead  peach  tree 
close  by.  After  a  momentary  survey 
of  the  situation  she  would  flit  to  the 

stump,  sit  for  a  few  seconds  on  a  dead  branch  at  one  side,  then  hop  down,  fly  to  the  hole  and 
catch  on  the  bark  or  cling  to  the  rough  edge  of  the  circular  opening  with  her  sharp  claws, 
pausing  there  a  tenth  of  a  second,  or  long  enough  to  cast  a  swift  glance  backwards.  In 
this  position  she  was  photographed  many  times,  with  grasshoppers,  crickets,  green  larvae, 
katydids,  and  once  with  a  large  robber  fly  in  her  beak,  the  profile  of  her  head  being  sharply 
vignetted  by  the  dark  circular  entrance.  The  young  must  have  been  all  a-quaver  at  the 
sound  of  their  mother's  wings,  for  the  old  stump  seemed  to  become  suddenly  alive  with 
brisk  chirping  sounds  the  moment  she  touched  any  part  of  it.  The  bird  used  her  tail  to 


Fig.  61.     Female   Bluebird  about  to  enter  nest-hole  with  green 
insect-larva. 


Wild  Birds. 


Figs.  62,  63,  64.  This  series  represents  the  Bluebird  engaged  in 
cleaning  her  nest  on  three  distinct  visits,  at  each  of  which  food 
•was  served.  Nearly  one  half  life  size. 


help  support  her  weight  against  the 
side  of  the  tree,  like  a  Woodpecker, 
and  I  noticed  that  the  tail  feathers 
were  frayed  and  worn  at  the  points. 
The  male  during  the  numerous 
visits  which  followed  came  two  or 
three  times  and  sat  above  the  door, 
but  never  actually  entered  it,  and 
never  brought  to  the  young  a  single 
morsel  of  food  in  the  course  of  the 
entire  day.  He  would  warble  very 
sweetly,  however,  and  probably  en- 
couraged the  exertions  of  his  mate. 
The  next  time  this  bird  appeared 
with  a  grasshopper  she  did  not  trust 
herself  inside,  but  stood  at  the  en- 
trance, put  her  head  in  and  as  quickly 
drew  back  to  take  another  glance 
around,  then  leaned  far  down  and  fed 
her  clamoring  brood.  When  she  came 
again,  I  made  a  picture  of  her  as  she 
stood  at  the  hole,  and  in  so  doing 
frightened  her  off,  but  she  was  back 
in  an  instant,  and  another  picture  was 
secured  as  she  left  the  nest.  At  this 
moment  a  flock  of  Goldfinches  flew 
overhead,  and  were  heard  calling  be- 
be  !  be-be  ! ,  at  which  the  young  Blue- 
birds were  instantly  aroused,  and 
made  the  old  stump  resound  again 
with  theircries.  After  many  grasshop- 
pers and  crickets  had  been  dispatched, 
a  hairy  robber  fly,  or  Asilus  already 
mentioned,  was  brought  in.  Then 
another  bright  green  katydid,  with  its 
wings  half  spread  in  its  vain  effort  to 
get  free,  was  served  to  the  young.  If 
frightened  in  an  attempt  to  enter  the 
nest  this  bird  invariably  returned 
shortly,  and  after  the  feeding  was 
over,  would  take  the  excreta,  and  fly 
some  distance  before  dropping  it.  In 
no  case  was  it  known  to  be  eaten  at 
the  nest.  During  the  afternoon,  when 
these  birds  had  become  more  at  ease 


The  Nest-Hole  of  the  Bluebird. 


75 


in  their  new  surroundings,  the  nest  was  cleaned  six  times  in  two  hours.  I  saw  this  bird 
bring  to  her  young  no  less  than  twenty  grasshoppers,  four  cone-headed  katydids,  two 
black  crickets,  besides  larvae  and  many  small  insects.  During  the  forenoon,  in  the  space 
of  nearly  three  hours,  the  young  were  fed  on  the  average  of  once  in  six  minutes,  and  for 
two  hours  in  the  afternoon  once  in  nine  and  a  half  minutes. 

The  history  of  this  interesting  nest  came  to  an  unfortunate  close,  though  through  no 
fault  of  mine.  The  old  birds  were  subsequently  frightened  away,  and  their  five  young 
ones  left  to  perish.  The  young  were  not  quite  three  inches  long,  and  less  than  a  week 
old.  They  had  yellow  skins,  and  bright  yellow  mouths,  and  there  was  a  sprinkling  of 
plumbeous  down  on  the  head,  back,  and  shoulders. 

Toward  evening  on  March  22d  of  the  present  year  I  saw  a  male  Bluebird  sitting 
comfortably  in  an  old  Robin's  nest,  having  apparently  settled  down  to  spend  the  night 
there. 

The  Bluebird  is  one  of  the  most  unobtrusive  of  wild  birds.  It  goes  about  its  busi- 
ness quietly,  and  seems  never  to  fight,  except  in  defense  of  its  home.  According  to  one 
authority,  there  are  usually  three  broods,  and  before  the  first  set  of  young  can  shift  for 
themselves  the  female  repairs  the  nest  and  gets  ready  for  the  second.  The  male  continues 
to  care  for  the  first  brood  after  the  second  has  appeared,  will  feed  his  mate,  and  even 
take  her  place  at  the  nest. 


Fig.  65.     Standing  at  entrance  with  large  grasshopper  in  bill. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


MINUTE  OBSERVATIONS  ON  CATBIRDS. 

WHILE  the  Catbird  has  a  strong  attachment  for  its  young,  especially  during  later 
days  of  life  at  the  nest,  when  any  intrusion  will  arouse  its  fighting  instinct  to 
the  highest  pitch,  it  is  under  ordinary  conditions  exceedingly  wary,  suspicious, 
and  hard  to  approach.     In  the  account  which  follows  I  shall  describe  only  what  was  seen 

while  camping  beside  two  nests  of  these 
birds. 

The  first  of  these  attractive  nests 
rested  on  a  spray  of  the  sweet  viburnum, 
in  a  little  clearing  in  dense  bushes,  and 
about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  so  that 
no  change  in  its  position  was  necessary. 
It  contained  a  single  addle  egg  and  two 
young  with  the  feather-shafts  of  the  wings 
barely  exposed. 

For  an  hour  or  more  after  the  tent 
was  in  position,  the  old  birds  kept  up  a 
perpetual  din,  in  which  their  exasperat- 
ing tshaying  note  was  most  pronounced. 
They  would  circle  round  and  round  the 
tent,  often  coming  close  as  if  to  discover 
the  way  in,  or  fluttering  and  screaming 
at  it,  as  if  it  were  a  demon  to  be  exor- 
cised. After  this  they  gradually  became 
more  quiet,  and  began  to  alight  on  the 
tent's  guys  and  roof.  At  last  the  female 
was  seen  stealthily  to  approach  and 
quickly  feed  her  young.  After  a  fresh  re- 
connaissance both  birds  went  to  the  nest 
together  and  with  rapid,  jerky  move- 
ments stuffed  red  cherries  into  the  hun- 
gry throats,  inspected  and  cleaned  each 
young  bird,  and  then  darted  away. 

While  in  a  state  of  mind  wavering 

" a 'ar£e  HmP  drag°n"fly      between  fear  and  assurance,  the  Catbird 
76 


Minute  Observations  on  Catbirds. 


passes  rapidly  to  a  branch,  and  spreading  and  pumping  the  tail  pauses  in  an  attitude 
of  attention  before  making  another  movement. 

Both  birds  now  began  to  bring  an  abundance  of  insects  and  fruit,  as  if  making  up  for 
lost  time.  The  female  came  with  two 
cherries  in  her  bill  and  promptly  gave 
one  to  each  of  the  two  birds.  Then 
a  grasshopper  was  served,  and  still 
again  a  dragon-fly,  with  blue  body 
and  spotted  wings  (the  Libellula 
pulchella).  The  insect  was  swallowed 
wings  and  all,  but  only  after  pro- 
longed efforts.  As  confidence  was 
gradually  regained,  the  birds  would 
remain  longer  and  longer  at  the  nest, 
pick  the  young  all  over,  and  clean 
everything  with  care  and  delibera- 
tion. 

At  this  time  (July  23d)  the  young 
were  about  eight  days  old,  and  could 
be  easily  approached.  Two  days  later 
when  their  nest  was  touched,  they 
tumbled  out  in  an  instant,  disappear- 
ing as  if  by  magic  amid  the  leaves. 
I  succeeded  in  finding  one  of  them, 
but  it  refused  to  remain  in  the  old 
nest.  Its  wing-quills  now  showed  a 
half  inch  of  the  feather-shaft,  which 
represented  two  days'  growth,  while 
the  tail  feathers  were  still  in  the  stub- 
brush  stage. 

There  were  four  young  in  the 
second  nest,  which  was  discovered  in 
some  bushes  close  to  the  river  bank 
on  the  nineteenth  of  June.  It  rested  in  the  crotch  formed  by  the  crossing  of  shoots  of 
the  dogwood  and  alder.  The  young  were  in  pin-feathers,  but  not  a  tube  had  burst.  Both 
old  birds  happened  to  be  off  foraging,  but  quickly  returned  with  food  in  their  mouths, 
and  began  to  alarm  the  neighborhood. 

The  tent  was  pitched  in  front  of  this  nest  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  June  23d. 
After  it  was  closed  both  birds  began  their  cautious  explorations  in  the  vicinity,  tschaying 
incessantly  and  with  nerve-rasping  vehemence.  A  male  Redwing  Blackbird  was  soon 
attracted  to  the  spot,  and  added  his  note  of  alarm  to  the  general  outcry,  but  after  finding 
that  the  matter  did  not  concern  him,  returned  to  his  nest  in  the  flags  farther  away. 

In  twenty  minutes  the  Catbirds  had  become  more  quiet,  and  began  to  pay  close 
attention  to  the  tent.  The  Redwing  was  heard  con-quer-eeing  in  the  distance.  Song 
Sparrows  were  singing  merrily.  Veeries  called  from  the  woods  close  at  hand,  and  the 


Fig.  67.     Female  Catbird  inspecting  after  having  fed  the  young. 


78  Wild  Birds. 

be-be  of  the  Goldfinches  could  be  heard  as  these  birds  passed  leisurely  overhead.  The 
conditions  were  all  reassuring,  and  presently  the  Catbirds  became  silent,  and  went  off  for 
food.  In  a  few  moments  a  rustling  of  leaves  was  heard  close  to  the  tent  and  the  male 
could  be  seen  coming  boldly  in  its  direction. 

Up  to  this  time  the  young  lay  quietly  in  the  nest,  but  were  alert  to  every  sound, 
whether  from  the  wind  or  any  passing  bird.  Their  wing-quills  had  become  exposed  in 
the  course  of  two  days  to  a  length  of  three  quarters  of  an  inch. 

Suddenly  a  jubilant  song  burst  forth  from  the  throat  of  the  male,  and  his  mate  thus 
encouraged  approached  the  nest  with  insect  in  bill,  but  her  fears  were  not  allayed,  for 
after  beating  about  she  swallowed  the  insect  herself  and  went  in  search  of  another. 

The  young  now  began  to  yip  in  earnest  and  to  stretch  their  scantily  feathered  trans- 
parent necks.  One  of  the  lustiest  of  the  four  even  climbed  to  the  edge  and  sat  in  the 
shade.  They  would  erect  their  scanty  crest-feathers  and  pant  in  the  sun,  which  though 
not  excessively  hot,  was  with  the  added  feeling  of  hunger,  beginning  to  make  them 
restless. 

The  sense  of  fear  was  at  last  overcome  in  the  mother,  who  came,  fed  and  cleaned  the 
young,  and  flew  off  again.  After  another  pause  a  huge  dragon-fly  was  brought  to  the 
nest.  The  observer  had  to  wait  long  at  the  beginning,  but  his  reward  was  now  quick  in 
coming.  The  young  were  then  fed  every  five  or  six  minutes,  but  the  male  only  rarely 
went  to  the  nest  himself.  Still  cautious  to  a  degree,  he  would  follow  after  the  female, 
but  stop  a  few  feet  short  of  the  nest.  Then  after  delivering  her  insect  she  would  go  at 
once  to  her  mate,  take  the  food  from  his  bill,  and  bear  it  to  the  young. 

The  following  table  gives  the  number  of  visits  at  which  food  was  brought  during 
eight  consecutive  hours  from  8  A.M.  to  4  P.M.,  and  illustrates  how  the  parental  instincts, 
aided  by  habit,  gradually  overcome  the  feeling  of  fear  in  a  very  shy  and  suspicious  animal. 


HOUR. 

NO.  OF  TIMES 
YOUNG  ARE  FED. 

NEST  CLEANED. 

REMARKS. 

1} 

I 

I 

Young  fed  by  female. 

a         «      «        u 

3 

I 

.  . 

«         «      «        u 

4 

5 

I 

5 

8 

2 

Young  fed  once  by  male. 

6 

10 

I 

Young  fed  twice  by  male,  who  also  brings  food 

which 

female  delivers. 

7 

ii 

3 

Old  birds  begin  coming  to  nest  together. 

8 

17 

4 

Young  fed  twice  by  male,  who  also  brings  food  for 

female 

to  serve. 

Five  times  in  rapid  succession  the  mother  brought  in  dragon-flies  of  extraordinary 
size  (the  large  j&schna  heros),  of  a  light  greenish  yellow  color,  and  limp  as  wet  paper, 
having  just  issued  from  their  pupa  cases.  This  bird  presented  an  interesting  sight  as 
she  approached  with  one  of  these  long  insects  hanging  from  her  bill,  for  she  always 
held  them  by  the  head.  The  dragon-fly  was  as  long  as  the  young  bird,  but  it  was 
invariably  swallowed  wings  and  all,  though  only  after  a  hard  struggle. 

The  young,  always  on  the  alert  huddle  to  this  and  that  side  of  the  nest,  and  stretch- 


Minute  Observations  on  Catbirds. 


79 


ing  to  the  utmost  limit  their  transparent  red  necks  display  the  yellow  target  of  the  open 
mouth  as  they  tsil !  tsit !  to  the  approaching  mother,  who  sounds  her  well-known  call. 

On  one  occasion  I  saw  the  female  deliver  a  black  dragon-fly,  and  afterwards  take 
from  the  bill  of  the  male,  who  was  standing  near,  a  carrion  beetle,  and  pass  it  to  the  young. 
Then  keenly  eying  her  brood,  she 
deliberately  bent  over,  and  as  the 
body  of  one  was  raised  took  from  it 
a  small  white  package  and  flew  away. 
Many  of  the  photographs  show  the 
birds  performing  this  sanitary  act,  a 
practice  common  to  many  other  spe- 
cies. During  her  first  visits  the  female 
ate  the  excreta,  but  thereafter  it  was 
invariably  removed  from  the  nest. 

The  food  served  to  these  young 
Catbirds  consisted  of  dragon-flies, 
which  were  brought  to  the  nest  thir- 
teen times,  insect  larvae,  beetles, 
moth  millers,  and  a  great  variety  of 
smaller  insects,  varied  with  liberal 
courses  of  strawberries.  At  first  the 
old  birds  approached  quietly,  fed 
their  young  hurriedly  from  the  farth- 
er side,  and  were  off  in  a  few  seconds, 
but  as  confidence  in  their  surround- 
ings was  gradually  restored,  they 
would  come  to  the  nest-front,  with 
the  camera  but  three  feet  away,  re- 
main there  for  a  full  minute,  and  after 
assisting  the  young  to  dispose  of  their 
harder  subjects,  inspect  everything 
with  the  greatest  care. 

When  this  nest  was  visited  two 
days  later  the  young  looked  bright 

and  hearty.  They  were  now  in  full  feather,  and  about  ready  for  flight.  When  the  tent  had 
been  cautiously  set  up,  I  noticed  that  a  number  of  leaves  cast  undesirable  shadows  on 
the  nest.  Though  knowing  well  what  to  expect,  I  decided  to  take  the  risk,  and  reached 
out  to  cut  them  off.  This  was  the  fatal  spark  which  fires  the  train  of  gunpowder,  for  all 
went  off  in  an  instant  in  a  panic  of  fear,  and  the  game  was  up,  for  Catbirds  when  well 
out  of  their  nest  at  this  stage  are  out  for  good. 


Kig.  68.     Female  Catbird  cleaning  the  nest. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  REARING  OF  THE  NIGHT  HAWK. 

IN  crossing  a  clearing  one  day  in  June  I  flushed  a  Night  Hawk,  who  showed  by  her 
behavior  that  the  little  depression  from  which  she  rose  contained  something  of  great 
interest  to  both  the  bird  and  myself.     She  was  indeed  incubating  a  single  marbled 
gray  egg,  which  lay  on  a  marbled  gray  patch  of  earth  still  covered  with  ashes  and  cinder. 
The  bird  retired  quietly,  dropping  with  a  thud  to  the  ground  a  few  feet  away. 

Two  days  later,  if  my  estimate  is  correct,  a  young  Night  Hawk  cracked  his  shell 
neatly  in  two  and  emerged  to  the  light  of  day.  When  first  seen  on  the  twenty-sixth  of 
June,  he  was  well  clothed  in  down,  and  looked  like  a  little  flattened  ball  of  fluffy  worsted, 

of  a  dark  cream  color  mot- 
tled with  brown,  colors 
which  harmonize  well  with 
the  usual  tints  of  the  soil. 
You  had  to  look  a  second 
time  to  detect  the  stub  of 
a  beak  at  the  base  of  which 
the  large  round  nostrils 
were  sufficiently  prominent. 
Whenever  this  bird  was 
aroused  from  its  all-day 
slumbers  the  eyelids  would 
gradually  open  and  disclose 
a  pair  of  large,  soft,  deep 
blue  eyes,  the  lower  lids 
showing  decided  angular 
contours  which  became 
more  striking  as  the  bird 
grew. 

The  mother  brooded  during  the  heat  of  the  day  or  sat  as  if  dozing  beside  her  charge. 
When  surprised  at  such  times  she  rose  and  with  feathers  erect  and  tail  spread  fluttered 
off  in  a  slow  shambling  manner  as  if  to  encourage  pursuit.  With  her  feathers  raised  and 
her  huge  mouth  wide  open  or  the  mandible  vibrating  up  and  down,  with  an  audible  snap- 
ping sound,  as  if  set  on  springs,  this  bird  presented  a  curious  appearance,  recalling  the 
not  wholly  dissimilar  behavior  which  eagles  display  when  stirred  by  similar  emotions. 

80 


Fig.  69.      Night  Hawk  and  eggshells  from  which  it  emerged.     Three  days 
old,  June  27,  1900. 


The  Rearing  of  the  Night  Hawk. 


81 


Fig.  70.     Night  Hawk  three  days  old.     Nearly  life  size. 


When  the  young  Night  Hawk  is  exposed  to  a  hot  sun,  its  lower  jaw  also  begins  to  vibrate 
but  at  a  much  higher  rate  of  speed,  when  it  will  toddle  off  and  crouch  in  the  shade  of 
a  leaf.  It  begins  to  walk  when  three  or  four  days  old,  but  rarely  emits  a  sound,  except 
under  circumstances  which  will  be  presently  described.  Fearing  lest  the  old  bird  should 
entice  it  away,  I  coralled  it  in  a  small  enclosure  of  wattled  twigs  on  July  3d.  In  this 
pen  it  remained  a  week  longer  or 
until  able  to  fly  at  the  age  of  about 
eighteen  days. 

Wishing  to  witness  the  feeding 
habits  of  these  birds,  which  I  believe 
have  never  been  described,  I  spent 
parts  of  three  days  and  nights  camped 
beside  the  enclosure  and  was  the  wit- 
ness of  some  interesting  and  curious 
sights.  On  the  first  day  I  set  up  the 
tent  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
but  heard  no  sound  for  an  hour,  when 
the  young  began  to  pe-up!  At  five 
o'clock  the  pisk  !  of  the  male  sound- 
ed for  the  first  time.  During  the 
interval  a  single  incident  occurred  to 
vary  the  monotony.  A  green  snake 
in  the  course  of  his  rambles  had  dis- 
covered the  young  Night  Hawk,  and 
when  first  seen  was  watching  the  bird 
intently  from  a  stump  close  to  the 
tent.  The  snake  after  remaining  with 
elevated  head  keenly  eying  the  bird 
for  a  long  time,  slowly  advanced,  put- 
ting out  his  tongue,  but  when  a  few 
inches  away  hesitated  again,  and  as  if 
deciding  not  to  experiment  further, 
turned  to  one  side  and  disappeared. 
The  bird  paid  no  attention  whatever 
to  the  advances  of  the  snake.  At  this 
juncture  I  left  the  tent  for  an  hour, 
returning  as  the  sun  was  setting  at 
half-past  seven  o'clock. 

At  dark  a  change  begins  to  come 
over  the  Night  Hawk  family.  The 
young  bird  shows  signs  of  life,  moves 

3  S  S  Fig.   71.     Night   Hawk  nine   days  old,  July  3d.    Length  in  sit- 

about    calling    for  food,   and  grows      ting  posture,  3j  inches. 

livelier    as    the    darkness  increases, 

making  a  sound  like  pe-ur  !  pe-up  !     Both  old  birds  are  now  alert  and  gyrating  overhead. 

You  hear  their  pisk  !  pisk  !  and  the  startling  sound  caused  by  the  vibration  of  the  wings 


82 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig.  72.     Night  Hawk  twelve  days  old,  July  6th. 


as  an  old  bird  descends  like  a  bolt  toward  the  earth.  As  these  sounds  increase  with  their 
nearer  approach,  the  nervous  excitement  of  the  young  is  curious  to  behold.  He  is  all 
a-tremor,  moves  now  in  one  direction,  now  in  another  and  his  pe-ur !  note  reaches  a 

pitch  unknown  before. 
Presently  you  hear  a 
thud  as  if  a  clod  of 
earth  had  dropped. 
Then  the  mother  bird, 
crawling  over  the 
leaves,  begins  calling 
ke-ark  !  ke-ark  !  This 
sound  however  un- 
couth to  the  human 
ear,  corresponds  to  the 
cluck!  of  the  hen  to 
her  chicks,  and  awak- 
ens an  immediate  re- 
sponse in  the  young 
Night  Hawk.  He  does 
his  best  to  go  to  his 
mother,  but  the  ob- 
stacles being  insur- 
mountable, she  comes 
to  him.  She  is  load- 
ed with  fireflies,  and 
as  her  great  mouth 
opens,  you  behold  the 
wide  jaws  and  throat 
brilliantly  illuminated 
like  a  spacious  apart- 
ment all  aglow  with 
electricity.  With  wings 
erect  and  full-spread, 
the  old  bird  a  p- 
proached  to  within 
fifteen  inches  of  my 


hand,  making  an  elec- 
tric display  at  every 
utterance  of  her  harsh 
ke-ark!  Then  stand- 
ing over  her  young,  with  raised  and  quivering  wings,  she  put  her  bill  well  down  into  his 
throat  and  pumped  him  full.  His  down-covered  wings  were  also  spread  and  a-quiver.  In  this 
position  they  remained  interlocked  and  silent  for  one  or  two  minutes.  When  the  feeding 
was  over  she  tucked  the  little  one  under  her  breast  and  began  to  brood.  It  was  not  long 
before  she  was  off  again  in  the  darkness,  and  upon  returning  the  performance  was  repeated, 


Fig.  73.     Night  Hawk  sixteen  days  old,  July  loth.     Length  in  sitting  posture,  4f  inches. 


Fig.  74.     Front  view  of  bird  shown  in  Fig.  73. 


Fig.  75.     Young  Night  Hawk  in  enclosure  on  spot  where  it  was  born,  and  where  it  remained 
until  able  to  fly  when  eighteen  days  old. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 

ILIFC 


The  Rearing  of  the  Night  Hawk.  85 

after  which  she  settled  down  to  brood  as  if  for  the  night.  This  young  bird  was  fed  but  twice 
each  evening  between  the  hours  of  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  and  always,  as  I  believe,  by  the 
female.  It  is  probable  that  another  feeding  time  also  occurs  at  dawn.  During  the  earlier 
hours  the  male  would  sometimes  swoop  down  with  terrific  wing-blast  as  if  to  drive  away 
intruders,  and  he  once  came  and  sat  by  his  chick  for  ten  minutes  after  dusk  without 
causing  any  excitement.  The  task  of  feeding  was  borne  by  the  mother,  and  her  presence 
never  failed  to  excite  the  young. 

I  tried  to  make  a  flash-light  picture  of  the  old  and  young  bird  interlocked  in  the  feed- 
ing process,  and  could  easily  have  succeeded  had  my  lamp  been  of  a  kind  which  showed 
no  light  before  the  flash. 

In  two  weeks  the  mottled  down  of  the  Night  Hawk  chick  has  given  place  to  mottled 
feathers,  in  which  the  tints  range  from  dark  to  light  brown  or  buff.  The  wing-quills  are 
almost  black  with  buff  edges.  The  fifth  quill  or  primary  has  a  pure  white  transverse  spot 
near  the  point  of  emergence  from  the  feather  tube,  the  first  trace  of  what  becomes  a  con- 
spicuous mark  on  the  wings  of  an  adult  bird.  The  fledgling  is  more  lively  in  the  day- 
time, runs  about  easily,  will  utter  his  pe-ur  !  note,  and  can  fly  short  distances. 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  KINGFISHERS  AND  THEIR  KING  ROW. 

THE  Kingfisher  has  a  strong  attachment   for  particular  nesting  places,  and  will 
occupy  the  same  bank  for  years,  if  unmolested,  and  sometimes  even  when  robbed. 
The  Belted  Kingfisher,  though  widely  distributed,  seems  to  be  nowhere  very 
abundant.     In  New  Hampshire  one  rarely  finds  more  than  a  single  pair  nesting  in  the 

neighborhood  of  any  village 
or  town. 

The  nest  now  to  be  de- 
scribed was  drilled  into  a 
sand  bank  beside  a  country 
road.  It  had  a  straight  four- 
inch  bore,  which  four  feet 
from  the  opening  expanded 
into  a  low-vaulted  chamber 
six  inches  high  and  ten 
inches  across.  When  this 
dark  subterranean  abode 
was  opened  at  the  rear,  on 
the  nineteenth  day  of  July, 
1900,  I  put  in  my  hand  and 
drew  forth  in  succession  five 
very  strange  looking  creat- 
ures. They  had  huge  coni- 
cal bills,  short  legs,  and  fat 
squatty  bodies,  which  bris- 
tled all  over  with  steel  gray 
"  quills,"  the  feather  tubes, 
which  had  not  yet  burst, 
suggesting  an  antediluvian 
monster  or  reptilian  bird  on 
a  reduced  plan. 

These  five  young  King- 
fishers which  were  then 

Fig.  76.     Tunnel  of  Kingfisher— the  opening  seen  at  the  right— in  sand  bank  . 

overgrown  with  pines,  beside  country  road.     August,  1899.  about     nine     days     old      had 

86 


Fig.  77.     Nest  in  same  bank  as  shown  in  Fig.  76,  and  probably  belonging  to  same  pair.      Tak- 
ing fish  to  young.    July,  1900. 


Fig.  78.     Kingfisher  backing  out  of  tunnel.     The  sand  streams  from  the  opening  at  every  en- 
trance and  exit. 

87 


The  Kingfishers  and  their  King  Row. 


89 


Fig.  79.  Five  Kingfishers  from  chamber  at  end  of  tunnel ;  nine  days 
old.    July  19,  1900. 


already  acquired  some  curious  habits.  They,  like  the  adult  birds,  stand  not  on  the  toes 
.simply,  but  on  the  whole  tarsus,  which  corresponds  to  the  scaly  part  of  the  leg  of  a  fowl, 
so  that  the  "  drum-stick  "  rises  from  the  heel.  They  can  be  posed  in  any  position  like  toy 
soldiers,  but  if  placed  in  line  they  will  soon  break  ranks  and  walk  backwards,  even  mov- 
ing up  inclined  planes  or  against 
obstacles  set  in  their  paths.  They 
are  rarely  seen  to  take  a  single  for- 
ward step  for  many  days  after  reach- 
ing this  stage. 

The  human  infant  and  verte- 
brated  animals  generally  instinctive- 
ly walk  forward  ;  how  then  does  it 
happen  that  the  young  Kingfisher 
early  acquires  the  grotesque  habit 
of  walking  backwards?  The  anom- 
aly is  readily  understood.  From 
the  time  of  birth  the  young  lie  hud- 
dled in  a  cluster  in  their  dark  un- 
derground chamber,  which  opens 
to  the  outside  by  means  of  a  single 
narrow  tunnel.  As  they  grow  in 
size  and  strength  the  monotony  of 
sitting  still,  often  with  legs  and 
wings  interlocked,  must  become 
very  great,  and  whether  for  diver- 
sion or  not,  at  all  events  they  soon 
begin  to  bite  and  tease  one  another 
like  young  puppies.  Should  one  be 
hard-pressed,  the  only  way  of  es- 
cape lies  along  the  narrow  passage, 
which  they  naturally  traverse  head 
first ;  but  the  instinct  to  return  to 
the  warm  family  cluster  is  strong, 
and  to  do  this  they  are  obliged  to 
walk  backwards.  Again  when  the 
rattle  of  the  alma  mater  announcing 
the  capture  of  another  fish  is  heard, 
each  struggles  to  get  down  the  nar- 
row passage-way  first,  but  when  the  parent  enters  the  hole  she  hustles  them  all  back.  With 
each  backward  movement  the  young  Kingfishers  thus  come  to  associate  pleasant  things, — 
food  and  warmth.  Thus  the  habit  is  temporarily  fixed. 

Wishing  to  see  these  birds  take  fish  to  their  young,  I  decided  to  try  the  tent,  al- 
though it  was  impossible  to  get  nearer  than  eight  feet,  and  the  hole  was  in  full  light  for 
only  a  part  of  the  forenoon  ;  besides,  being  situated  on  the  roadside,  one  was  in  constant 
danger  of  interruption.  The  experiment  succeeded,  however,  even  better  than  I  had 


Fig.  80.     Posed  in  line,— biting,  pulling,  and  crowding  one  another. 


9o 


Wild  Birds. 


anticipated  ;  ten  visits  were  recorded,  and  the  old  birds  were  photographed  in  the  act  of 
both  entering  and  leaving  their  tunnel.  They  brought  a  single  fish  each  time,  usually 
what  appeared  to  be  a  small  chub  or  dace,  and  I  once  recognized  a  good-sized  sunfish. 

When  the  tent  and  camera  were  ready  at  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  July  23d, 
the  parent  birds  were  away  on  a  fishing  excursion,  and  did  not  return  for  half  an  hour. 
At  last  a  series  of  warning  rattles,  at  first  faint,  but  momentarily  becoming  more  shrill, 

announced  the  approaching 
bird,  who  came  at  full  tilt 
with  fish  in  bill.  Hesitat- 
ing at  sight  of  the  tent  she 
perched  on  the  dead  limb 
of  a  pine,  flew  to  and  fro 
from  one  side  of  the  road  to 
the  other,  and  made  the 
woods  resound  as  never  be- 
fore. Even  the  depths  of  the 
earth  seemed  to  respond, 
as  the  muffled  rattles  of 
the  five  young  Kingfishers 
issued  from  their  subter- 
ranean abode.  From  what- 
ever point  of  view  we  regard 
this  singular  note,  it  cer- 
tainly carries  well  and  is  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  arouse 
the  fish  under  water  and  the 
young  bird  under  ground. 

When  the  wriggling  fish 
nearly  slipped  from  her 
grasp,  the  bird  would  shift 
it  about  until  her  forceps 
had  a  firmer  grip  at  a  point 
just  back  of  its  head.  At 
every  reel  of  the  rattle,  each 
of  which  seemed  more  shrill 
and  more  impatient  than 
the  last,  she  would  start  as 
if  to  go  to  her  nest  a  few 
yards  away.  Occasionally 
a  peculiar  creaking  sound  es- 
caped her,  suggesting  the  grating  of  dead  limbs  when  swayed  by  the  wind.  Suddenly  with 
rattle  in  shrillest  crescendo  she  bolted  straight  into  the  hole,  delivered  the  fish,  remained  for 
half  a  minute,  then  came  out  backwards,  turning  in  the  air  as  she  dropped  from  the  entrance, 
and  with  a  parting  rattle  was  off  to  the  river.  During  these  visits  the  Kingfishers  usually 
remained  but  a  quarter  or  half  a  minute  in  the  tunnel,  and  always  came  out  backwards, 


Fig.  81.     The  "  King  Row."  Five  Kingfishers  in  line,  illustrating  habit  of  sit- 
ting still.     July  19,  1900. 


Fig.  82.     The  "  King  Row  "  at  a  later  period  ;  thirteen  days  old,  July  23,  1900. 


The  Kingfishers  and  their  King  Row. 


91 


except  on  one  occasion  when  I  saw  the  bird  turn  near  the  entrance,  and  shoot  out  head 
first.  The  longest  visit  recorded  lasted  three  and  a  half  minutes.  When  a  youngster 
was  encountered  near  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel  he  was  driven  back  to  the  chamber,  where 
the  food  was  distributed.  Once 
only  did  I  see  an  old  bird  pause 
at  the  entrance  for  a  hasty 
glance  backward,  and  thus 
give  a  good  profile  view  of 
head  with  fish  in  bill.  Unfor- 
tunately the  plate  had  already 
been  exposed,  and  before  it 
could  be  changed,  the  oppor- 
tunity was  lost.  The  old  birds, 
however,  must  have  often 
turned  about  at  the  entrance 
on  both  entering  and  leaving 
the  hole,  as  shown  by  the  deep 
furrows  plowed  by  the  bill  at 
either  side  of  the  opening. 

When  the  young  are  ten 
days  old,  the  feather  tubes 
have  begun  to  burst  at  the  tips, 
and  their  horny  substance  is 
gradually  shed  in  the  form  of 
powdery  scales.  The  feathers 
grow  slowly,  but  at  the  age  of 
two  weeks  the  characteristic 
colors  of  the  adult  are  becom- 
ing apparent, — the  slaty-blue 
of  the  upper  parts,  and  the 
white  of  the  breast  which  is 
traversed  by  a  bluish-brown 
belt,  with  rusty  brown  along 
the  sides.  As  they  rattle  when 
taken  from  the  nest  their 
whole  body  quavers.  They 
will  hiss,  bite  one  another,  hud- 
dle together,  and  erect  their 
crests  of  long  stiff  feathers. 
They  attain  to  full  plumage  or 


Fig.  83.     Kingfisher  nine  days  old,  showing  feather  tubes  and  tracts. 


Fig.  84.  At  thirteen  days  ;  many  of  the  feather  tubes  burst.  The  blue- 
black,  white-tipped  wing-quills  project  half  an  inch.  Notice  that  these 
birds  always  stand,  not  on  the  toes  only,  but  on  the  short  shank  or  tarsus. 


nearly   so   when    three  weeks 

old,  at  which  time  their  bright  fresh  colors  and  docile  natures  make  them  most  attractive. 
They  can  fly  but  little,  and  show  no  fear.  At  this  stage  their  habitual  expression  suggests 
a  peculiar  sardonic  grin. 

On  the  fourth  of  August  I  took  these  birds  home  in  a  basket,  when  twenty-five  days 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig.  85.      Kingfisher  fifteen  days  old,  with  nearly  all  feathers  partly  un- 
sheathed.    July  25,  1900. 


old,  if  their  age  was  correctly  estimated.  They  were  about  ready  to  fly  and  would  have 
voluntarily  left  their  nest  in  a  short  time.  The  nesting  chamber  had  been  gradually 
opened  up  in  front  and  filled  at  the  rear,  until  it  had  advanced  a  foot  and  a  half  toward 
the  mouth  of  the  tunnel.  At  this  time  fear  was  possessing  them,  and  a  day  later  it  was 

impossible  to  handle  them  with- 
out throwing  them  into  a  panic. 
When  quiet  they  would  still 
pose  well,  would  strike  with 
open  bill,  and  walk  backwards. 
During  captivity  I  fed  them 
on  fish  which,  however,  they 
would  never  seize  of  their  own 

_jf  JfftflfflffJH  HB^;  jP"HVm        Accord.       It  was   necessary    to 

^VA\^H  N"  'btSk  open    their  bills  and  press  the 

sB  B4Piw^4fiLr  food  well  down  into   their  dis- 

^^^^      ^^^^    ___^_^^^^^_^  ^^_      tensible  throats.     They    would 
Q^2  perch  on  a  branch  placed  in  their 

cage,  drink  water  and  sit  in  it 
by  the  half-hour,  but  never 
touch  the  most  tempting  mor- 
sels of  food.  Raw  meat  was 
rejected,  but  they  throve  on 
fish  if  fed  by  the  hand.  When 
perched  they  stood  as  before  on 
the  whole  tarsus  or  shank,  and 
would  sit  together  and  in  si- 
lence, with  breasts  thrown  out, 
for  hours.  You  heard  only  an 
occasional  rattle,  and  that  usu- 
ally in  the  morning.  The  King- 
fisher's oesophagus  is  very  dis- 
tensible and  the  throat  is  lined 
with  inwardly  projecting  papil- 
lae, so  that  when  a  fish  is  once 
taken  in  the  throat,  it  is  impos- 
sible for  it  to  escape. 

The  bill  of  the  Kingfisher 
is  grooved  on  the  inside,  thus 
giving  the  mandibles  sharp  cut- 
ting edges  and  a  firm  gripe  on 

the  prey.  A  fish  once  seized  rarely  makes  its  escape,  to  prevent  which  the  bird  has  other 
resources.  I  once  saw  a  curious  trick  performed  by  a  Kingfisher,  who  having  made  a  good 
capture,  was  perched  on  a  dead  tree  over  the  water.  In  the  course  of  its  struggles  the 
fish  nearly  got  free,  and  for  a  moment  was  held  only  by  its  tail.  The  bird  with  a  quick 
movement  of  the  head  tossed  the  fish  in  the  air,  and  as  it  descended  caught  it  by  the  head 
and  proceeded  to  swallow  it. 


Fig.  86.  At  eighteen  days.  The  bright  blue  tints  of  the  upper  parts,  and 
the  white  and  chestnut  bands  around  the  neck  and  breast  are  now  very 
prominent.  July  28,  1900. 


The  Kingfishers  and  their  King  Row. 


93 


When  liberated  on  August  I2th,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  days,  the  young  King- 
fishers were  suddenly  thrown  upon  their  own  resources,  and  it  was  questionable  whether 
they  would  be  able  to  recover  the  instinct  to  seek  and  capture  prey.  However,  they 
were  strong  and  healthy,  and  I  hope  that  nature  came  to  their  aid  not  only  in  prompting 
them  to  find  food,  but  in  starting  them  south  later  in  the  autumn. 


Fig.  87.  Kingfishers  twenty-two  days  old.  Placed  in  line  to  illustrate  habit  of  walking  back- 
wards. The  second  bird  at  the  left  has  already  broken  ranks  and  taken  a  few  backward  steps. 
August  i,  1900. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

CARE    OF   YOUNG    AND    NEST, 

I. 
BROODING   AND   FEEDING   THE   YOUNG. 

WHEN  the  callow  young  are  hatched,  brooding  is  the  order  of  the  day  as  well  as 
of  the  night,  and  in  some  species  the  young  seem  to  require  this  kind  of  pro- 
tection as  much  as  food.  During  the  first  days  of  life  in  the  nest  it  is  not 
easy  to  distinguish  a  brooding  from  a  sitting  bird,  but  this  is  not  the  case  when  a  little 
later  the  mother  begins  to  rest  her  wings  over  the  rim,  or  spreading  wings  and  tail  stands 
astride  the  nest  with  back  to  the  sun.  The  young  must  be  protected  from  heat,  cold, 
and  rain,  and  the  instinct  to  perform  this  duty  is  as  strong  with  old  birds  as  that  of 
bringing  food. 

Cedar  Waxwings  and  Kingbirds  which  I  have  watched,  brooded  regularly  at  night, 
but  I  have  known  young  Robins  to  be  left  alone  in  the  nest.  Should  the  day  be  cloudy 
but  with  no  rain,  or  sunny  but  not  too  warm  little  or  no  brooding  has  been  observed 
among  the  various  species  which  I  have  studied,  but  let  the  sun  beat  relentlessly  upon 
the  young,  or  the  air  become  laden  with  moisture,  and  the  faithful  mother  is  promptly  at 
her  post.  I  have  seen  the  Robin  brood  the  young  when  eleven  days  old  for  forty  minutes 
at  a  time,  while  her  mate  brought  an  abundance  of  food.  As  he  approached  with  an 
insect  or  cluster  of  worms,  she  would  step  aside,  but  immediately  settle  back  on  the  nest 
when  the  food  had  been  safely  disposed.  As  a  rule,  however,  she  would  brood  for  five  or 
ten  minutes,  leave  at  the  approach  of  the  male,  return  promptly  with  food,  and  brood 
until  her  mate  again  appeared.  I  have  on  several  occasions  seen  a  brooding  bird  leave 
the  nest  when  the  sun  became  temporarily  obscured  and  return  when  the  clouds  lifted. 
It  was  not  quite  certain,  however,  that  the  element  of  chance  did  not  vitiate  the 
observation. 

While  camped  beside  a  nest  of  Brown  Thrushes  whose  photographs  are  shown,  and 
whose  young  were  approximately  four  days  old,  the  female  came  to  the  nest  for  inspec- 
tion frequently  on  the  first  day  of  observation,  and  brooded  intermittently,  but  fed  her 
young  only  once  in  the  space  of  three  and  a  half  hours.  When  I  frightened  this  bird 
off  with  the  hand  stretched  through  the  tent-window,  she  would  dart  at  it,  scold  em- 
phatically, but  in  a  few  moments  return  to  her  brooding  again,  as  if  her  young  required 
this  attention  more  than  food. 

The  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  who  is  represented  in  many  characteristic  attitudes 

94 


Fig  88  Female  Brown  Thrush  brooding  her  young.  Lens,  Extra  Rapid  gT7B  inch  ;  speed,  |; 
stop!  32;'  time,  J  second;  plate,  Seeds'  No.  27  "gilt  edge"  ;  distance,  four  feet;  in  full  sun. 
July  13,  1900. 


95 


Care  of  Young  and  Nest. 


97 


about  the  nest  by  a  long  series  of  photographs,  only  a  few  of  which  can  be  shown,  was  a 
most  devoted  brooder  for  days.  She  would  stick  to  her  charge  until  driven  off  by  sheer 
force  or  by  hunger.  I  have  often  seen  her  drop  down  in  the  grass,  pick  up  a  morsel  on 
her  own  account,  and  be  back  to  the  nest  in  a  fraction  of  a  second  before  the  insect  was 
fairly  swallowed.  Again  she  might  leave  the  nest  twenty  times  in  the  course  of  an  hour 
to  procure  food  either  for  herself  or  her  children.  Her  mate  would  often  alight  above 


Fig.  89.     Female  Robin  brooding  :  a  characteristic  attitude  when  alert,  or  listening  to  any  unusual  sound. 

the  nest,  bend  far  down  and  deliver  the  insects  into  the  mouth  of  the  brooding  hen,  who 
would  promptly  hop  up  and  give  every  morsel  to  the  young. 

This  little  warbler  would  sometimes  sit  well  down  in  the  nest,  and  erect  some  of  her 
feathers  and  apparently  inflate  the  throat  so  that  the  bird's  head  appeared  as  if  swollen 
to  twice  its  natural  size.  She  made  the  most  comical  picture,  however,  when  on  a  hot 
day  she  stood  or  sat  over  the  young,  with  every  feather  erect,  striving  to  keep  them  cool 
and  to  be  comfortable  herself  meanwhile. 

The  female  Kingbird  broods  constantly  when  the  heat  is  severe,  and  at  the  approach 


98 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig.  90.    Female  Redwing  Blackbird  placing  food  in  the  throat  of 
a  nestling. 


Fig.  91.  The  same  bird  watching  the  food  in  the  throat.  If  not 
immediately  swallowed,  the  insect  is  withdrawn  and  passed 
around  until  a  bird  with  the  proper  reaction  time  is  found. 


of  the  male  will  often  assist  in  dis- 
patching unruly  insects  and  in  seeing 
them  safely  down  a  responsive  throat. 
The  persistence  of  the  Redwing  Star- 
ling in  this  line  of  conduct  is  admir- 
able. I  have  seen  one  of  these  birds 
stand  with  drooping  wings,  erect 
feathers,  and  mouth  agape,  in  the 
strong  heat  of  a  July  day  for  hours 
though  not  continuously,  for  she  in- 
variably left  at  the  approach  of  her 
mate  for  a  few  moments'  respite,  and 
then  usually  returned  with  food. 

The  Cedar-bird  gapes  persist- 
ently when  uncomfortably  warm, 
but  only  the  crest  feathers  are  ever 
erected,  and  then  not  to  the  extent 
usually  shown  in  drawings  of  this 
species.  Both  Robins  and  Catbirds 
bristle  up  when  their  nests  and  well- 
fledged  young  are  assailed,  but  I  have 
never  seen  this  habit  in  the  brooding: 

o 

bird,  although  their  emotion  is  often 
expressed  by  raising  the  feathers  of 
the  crown. 

The  duty  of  brooding  rests 
mainly  with  the  female  in  our  com- 
mon land  birds,  but  the  male  in  some 
species  either  regularly  or  intermit- 
tently takes  his  turn  at  the  nest. 

Passerine  birds  feed  their  young 
at  brief  intervals  from  early  morning 
until  nightfall,  but  apparently  sel- 
dom if  ever  after  dark.  The  Night 
Hawk,  as  has  been  seen,  broods  by 
day,  and  feeds  its  young  at  dusk,  or 
just  after  dark,  and  probably  again 
at  dawn.  Both  sexes  usually  share 
in  bringing  food  to  the  nest,  but 
this  rule  is  by  no  means  universal. 

The  young  require  animal  food 
during  the  early  days  of  life,  and 
in  the  interior  of  the  country  this 
consists  mainly  of  insects  in  the 
larval  or  mature  stages,  spiders, 


Fig.  92.     Female    Kingbird   astride   nest   with    drooping   half-spread  wings,   shielding   her 
brood  from  the  hot  sun.     Notice  the  characteristic  attitude  of  the  young. 


Fig.  93.     Kingbirds  bruising  a  too  active  grasshopper   between  their  bills  preparatory  to 
serving  it  to  the  young  :  the  female  in  front  with  tail  full-spread. 

99 


Care  of  Young  and  Nest. 


101 


earthworms  (at  least  in  the  Robin)  and  possibly  slugs.  Aside  from  the  habits  of  the  adult 
the  nature  of  the  food  brought  depends  much  upon  the  character  of  the  supply.  When  the 
Kingfisher  finds  crayfish  abundant  they  are  carried  to  the  nest,  and  this  species  has  also 
been  known  to  go  to  the  fields  for  insects.  Along  the  coast  various  other  invertebrates  un- 
doubtedly contribute  to  the  food  supply  of  both  young  and  adult  birds  of  many  species. 
Birds  which  never  taste  of  fruit  themselves  naturally  do  not  give  it  to  their  young,  while 
Robins,  Orioles,  Vireos,  and  Waxwings,  to  mention  but  a  few  of  the  berry-pickers,  vary 
the  diet  of  their  fledglings  with  a  liberal  supply  of  fruits  of  various  kinds. 


Fig.  94.  Female  Kingbird  assisting  a  grampus  down  the 
throat  of  a  nestling.  The  long  gray  wings  of  this  insect  are 
still  protruding  from  the  mouth. 


Fig.  95.     Male  grampus,   Corydalus    cornutus :    full  size, 
from  life. 


The  food  is  placed  not  simply  in  the  mouth  of  the  young  but  well  down  into  the 
sensitive  throat,  and  if  the  bird  does  not  immediately  respond,  it  is  withdrawn  and  passed 
to  another,  and  often  to  a  third,  until  a  throat  is  found  which  has  the  proper  reaction 
time.  If  the  gullet  is  already  full,  the  swallowing  power  is  inhibited,  and  the  bird  must 
wait.  If  the  experiment  of  feeding  a  young  bird  like  a  Robin  at  the  nest  is  tried,  it  will 
be  found  that  the  food  passes  slowly  down  the  oesophagus,  and  when  this  is  filled  no 
more  can  be  taken  until  the  channel  is  clear.  The  gullet  thus  acts  as  a  brake  to  the 
tendency  of  the  greedy  young  bird  to  gorge  itself  to  suffocation.  According  to  Audu- 


102 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig.  96.     Female  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  bristling  to  keep 
cool  while  brooding  on  a  hot  June  day. 


bon,  Cedar-birds  will  sometimes  gorge 
themselves  to  such  excess  with  berries  as 
to  be  unable  to  fly,  and  a  number  of 
wounded  birds  of  this  species  which  he 
kept  in  a  cage  ate  of  apples  until  suffocated. 
When  opened  they  were  found  to  be  filled 
to  the  mouth. 

The  automatic  response  given  by  the 
young  is  the  signal  awaited  by  the  old  bird, 
though  often  with  impatience.  The  insect 
is  watched  after  being  placed  in  a  respon- 
sive throat,  until  it  disappears.  Should  it 
stick  at  the  gullet  it  is  withdrawn  and  re- 
placed time  and  again,  or  given  a  gentle 
pull,  until  it  is  safely  down.  Sometimes 
the  insect  is  bruised  against  a  twig,  beaten 
into  a  pulp  or  crushed  and  torn  asunder 
between  the  bills  of  the  parent  birds  before 
it  can  be  safely  delivered.  As  has  already 
been  seen,  many  birds  utter  a  peculiar  note 
as  a  special  stimulus  to  the  young.  At 
such  times  even  the  silent  Cedar-bird  finds 
a  voice  and  gives  an  impatient  cheet  !  If 
this  call  passes  unheeded  it  often  becomes 
extremely  shrill,  especially  in  Kingbirds, 
with  whom  failure  on  part  of  their  young 
to  quick  response  seems  to  be  peculiarly 
exasperating. 

While  watching  a  Kingbird's  nest 
from  the  tent,  a  moth  miller  was  once 
brought  in  by  the  male.  It  was  passed  to 
each  one  of  the  young  in  turn,  but  even 
under  the  spur  of  his  shrill  chitter,  they 
were  unresponsive,  and  he  devoured  the 
prey  himself.  This  sharp  economy  is  often 
practiced  at  the  nest,  and  I  have  even  seen 
the  leg  of  a  grasshopper  picked  up  and 
eaten  by  an  old  bird.  Not  a  crumb  is 
allowed  to  go  to  waste.  If  an  insect  gets 
away  it  is  usually  pursued  and  immedi- 
ately snapped  up.  Once,  however,  I  saw  a 
female  Kingbird  fooled  by  a  fly  who  owed 
its  life  to  its  small  size.  As  she  opened 
her  bill  in  her  attempt  to  land  it  safely 

Fig.  97.  The  same  bird  in  the  more  common  brooding  attitude.       in  an  Open  throat,  the  fly  darted  off.      The 


Care  of  Young  and  Nest. 


103 


bird  seemed  dazed  for  a  moment,  and 
stood  gazing  at  the  departing  fly  as  if  in 
mute  astonishment. 

Exciting  scenes  usually  follow  at  the 
nest  of  the  Kingbird  when  a  large  dragon- 
fly, cicada,  or  grampus  is  brought  to  the 
family  circle.  The  insect  often  struggles 
hard,  but  escape  is  out  of  the  question, 
especially  with  both  birds  at  the  nest,  who 
at  once  begin  to  rend  and  crush  it  with 
their  bills. 

The  male  grampus  (Corydalus  corn- 
utus)  better  known  as  the  larval  hellgamite 
of  which  black  bass  are  sometimes  ex- 
tremely fond,  has  long  gray  wings  folded 
back  over  the  body  when  at  rest,  and  the 
head  is  armed  with  horns  an  inch  long  but 
formidable  only  in  their  appearance.  I 
have  seen  these  huge  insects  measuring  four 
inches  from  tip  of  the  jaws  to  the  extrem- 
ities of  the  folded  wings  fed  to  a  single 
bird,  and  they  were  swallowed — wings  and 
all.  The  operation  is  shown  at  an  incom- 
plete stage  in  one  of  the  illustrations, 
where  the  wings  of  the  grampus  can  be 
seen  projecting  an  inch  or  more  from  the 
mouth  of  the  struggling  bird. 

The  cicada  is  even  tougher  and  harder 
to  manage  but  is  beaten  into  subjection, 
and  served  up  in  a  limp  condition.  Last 
August,  I  witnessed  a  street  combat  be- 
tween one  of  these  cicadae  and  an  House 
Sparrow.  The  insect  was  bounding  up 
and  down  on  the  ground  and  sounding  its 
crescendo  at  an  alarming  rate,  but  unable 
to  avoid  the  blows  which  rained  from  the 
Sparrow's  bill.  As  the  music  of  the  dying 
cicada  finally  ceased,  the  Sparrow  picked 
up  his  victim  and  bore  it  off  to  his  brood. 


II. 


CLEANING   THE   NEST. 

The  sanitary  condition  of  the  young 
is  a  matter  of  great  concern  to  most  birds, 


Fig.  98.  A  common  scene  at  this  nest.  The  male  brings 
food,  while  his  mate,  who  is  brooding,  receives  it  into  her 
own  bill  and  passes  it  on  to  the  children. 


Fig  99.     The  same  brooding  bird,  with  feathers  erect  and 
throat  inflated. 


104 


Wild  Birds. 


who  as  a  class  are  extremely  neat  and  clean.  This  is  especially  true  of  many 
species  who  breed  in  holes  or  cavities  of  any  kind  like  the  Woodpeckers  and  Chick- 
adees, the  young  of  which  are  crowded  in  close  quarters  or  even  piled  up  in  more  than 
one  layer.  The  Woodpecker's  hole  and  the  Bluebird's  nest  are  always  sweet  and  clean, 
and  the  nestlings  immaculate. 

The  duty  of  inspection  and,  if  necessary,  nest-cleaning  follows  each  feeding  with 

clock-like  regularity,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  characteristic  and  import- 
ant activities  to  be  observed  in  the 
nesting  habits  of  a  large  number  of 
the  smaller  land  birds,  yet  apparently 
it  is  not  mentioned  in  the  standard 
treatises  of  ornithology,  and  I  have 
found  but  few  references  to  it  in 
works  of  any  kind.  Audubon,  who 
has  probably  recorded  more  facts  on 
the  behavior  of  American  birds  than 
any  other  writer,  does  not,  I  believe, 
mention  this  important  function. 
The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek,  for 
without  the  possibility  of  close  ap- 
proach to  the  nest,  and  the  use  of  a 
convenient  blind,  such  acts  are 
difficult  or  impossible  to  observe. 

The  instinct  of  inspecting  and 
cleaning  the  nest  is  mainly  confined 
to  the  great  passerine  and  picarian 
orders  represented  in  this  country 
by  hundreds  of  species.  It  is  a 
well-marked  trait  in  Thrushes,  Wax- 
wings,  Vireos,  Warblers,  Orioles, 
Blackbirds,  and  Woodpeckers,  to 
mention  those  families  in  which  it 
has  been  observed. 

The  excreta  of  the  young  leave 
the  cloaca  in  the  form  of  white, 
opaque  or  transparent,  mucous  sacs. 

The  sac  is  probably  secreted  at  the  lower  end  of  the  alimentary  canal,  and  is  sufficiently 
consistent  to  admit  of  being  picked  up  without  soiling  bill  or  fingers.  The  parent  birds 
often  leave  the  nest  hurriedly  bearing  one  of  these  small  white  packages  in  bill,  an  action 
full  of  significance  to  every  member  of  the  family.  I  have  seen  the  Oriole  carry  these 
packages  a  few  rods  from  the  nest  and  drop  them  before  alighting.  The  Bluebird  and 
Redwing  Blackbird  take  them  a  long  distance  before  letting  them  fall. 

Some  Crow  Blackbirds  which  I  watched  last  spring  had  their  young  in  the  top  of  a 
fir  tree  beside  a  small  pond,  which  lay  between  me  and  their  nest.     In  approaching  with 


Fig.  100.  Brown  Thrush  feeding  a  nestling.  "  The  food  is  placed 
not  simply  in  the  mouth  of  the  young,  but  well  down  into  the  sensi- 
tive throat." 


Care  of  Young  and  Nest. 


food  they  would  stealthily  enter  the  tree  on  the  farther  side  and  after  a  few  moments  fly 
over  the  pond  and  drop  what  looked  like  a  small  white  marble  in  the  water  below.  This 
effected,  they  would  veer  and  fly  off  to  the  feeding  ground.  The  same  action  was 
repeated  by  birds  from  other  nests. 

Removing  the  excreta  piecemeal  and  dropping  it  at  a  safe  distance,  is  the  common 
instinctive  method  not  only  of  insuring  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  nest  itself,  but 
what  is  even  more  important,  of 
keeping  the  grass  and  leaves  below 
free  from  any  sign  which  might  be- 
tray them  to  an  enemy. 

Many  other  birds,  of  which  I 
can  now  certify  the  Robin,  Catbird, 
Cedar  Waxwing,  Red-eyed  Vireo, 
Kingbird,  Redwing  Blackbird,  Brown 
Thrush,  and  Chestnut-sided  Warbler, 
devour  a  part  and  often  the  major 
part  of  the  excreta  at  the  nest. 
This  is  a  very  common  practice 
with  the  Warbler,  Robin,  Waxwing, 
and  Vireo,  but  was  only  casually 
observed  in  Catbirds  and  Brown 
Thrushes. 

The  Robin  has  undoubtedly 
been  seen  by  many  in  the  character- 
istic pose  shown  in  a  number  of  the 
photographs  standing  on  the  rim  of 
the  nest  with  the  head  erect,  or  in- 
clined as  if  doting  on  her  young 
ones  and  thinking  what  fine  children 
they  were,  whereas  this  attitude  is 
really  one  of  sanitary  inspection. 
When  an  old  bird  of  any  of  the 
species  mentioned  above  has  fed  one 
of  the  brood,  its  duty  is  but  half 
done ;  it  pauses,  bends  over,  and 
keenly  scrutinizes  each  young  bird  in  turn  and  every  part  of  the  nest.  Shortly  after 
being  fed,  the  nestling  becomes  very  uneasy,  and  raises  its  body  as  if  to  drop  the  sac 
over  the  edge  of  the  nest.  The  old  bird  follows  every  movement,  snaps  up  the 
package  as  it  leaves  the  body,  and  either  swallows  it  immediately  or  carries  it  off. 
When  seen  flying  from  the  nest  with  head  depressed,  the  Robin  is  usually  engaged 
in  errands  of  this  kind.  The  Robins  and  Cedar-birds  have  frequently  been  seen  to  take 
the  sacs  from  two  or  three  birds  in  rapid  succession,  in  which  case  they  are  always  de- 
voured on  the  spot.  The  Robin  will  often  convey  the  package  to  any  convenient 
perch,  and  after  examining  it,  devour  a  part,  or  reject  the  whole.  While  watching  Rob- 
ins from  the  tent  I  have  seen  them  carry  the  excreta  thirty  rods  away  before  letting  it 


Fig.  101.     Brown  Thrush  cleaning  the  nest. 


io6 


Wild  Birds. 


fall  or  alighting  to  examine  it,  and  have  tried  to  find  the  sac  but  usually  without  success. 
One  day  I  saw  a  male  Robin  drop  the  "  white  marble  "  in  the  grass  about  fifty  feet  from 
the  nest,  and  proceed  to  peck  at  it.  Upon  going  to  the  spot  a  little  later  I  found  the  sac 
covered  with  dirt  but  not  opened.  It  had  a  tenacious  opaque  white  wall,  was  perfectly 
odorless,  and  contained  besides  a  few  small  pellets,  a  whole  blueberry  which  had  survived 
the  digestive  process.  The  actions  of  the  old  bird  were  thus  explained.  He  was  look- 
ing for  food  on  his  own  account,  but  in  this  case  missed  it. 

On  another  occasion  the  mother  Robin  devoured  all  the  excreta  which  soiled  the 
nest,  and  a  moment  later  took  it  directly  from  the  young  and  carried  it  away.  Again  on 

^^,  a  later  day,  the  same  bird  after  swal- 

lowing all  the  excreta  available, 
dropped  on  the  nest  and  brooded 
her  young  twenty  minutes  by  the 
watch,  without  showing  the  least 
desire  to  reject  anything  which  had 
been  eaten. 

The  female  Cedar-bird  in  her 
usual  round  of  domestic  duties 
comes  to  her  nest  of  half-fledged 
young,  regurgitates  cherries,  and 
after  distributing  them  in  the  usual 
fashion,  inspects  her  household  with 
the  closest  attention,  picking  up  and 
swallowing  every  particle  which  it  is 
necessary  to  remove.  This  accom- 
plished the  mother  bird  has  been 
seen  to  spread  her  wings  over  her 
brood,  and  shield  them  from  a  hot 
August  sun  for  over  an  hour.  Mean- 
time her  mate  came  repeatedly,  and 
passed  the  cherries  around.  The  fe- 
male who  stood  erect  astride  the 
nest,  would  frequently  inspect  and 
clean  the  household.  She  would 
also  snap  at  every  passing  insect,  and  I  saw  her  catch  a  large  red  ant,  and  quickly  transfer 
it  to  the  mouth  of  a  young  bird.  She  would  erect  and  lower  her  crest  and  stand  with 
mouth  agape  for  long  intervals,  but  there  was  never  a  sign  of  ejecting  anything  which 
had  been  eaten. 

At  still  another  nest  of  the  Waxwing  I  saw  the  female  after  feeding  cherries,  inspect, 
and  walking  around  the  rim  of  the  nest,  take  the  sacs  from  four  young  birds  in  succession, 
direct  from  the  body,  and  after  swallowing  them  all,  look  for  more.  She  then  flew  to  a 
neighboring  tree  and  cleaned  her  bill.  In  performing  the  sanitary  act  this  bird  bends 
over,  and  reaching  forward  with  head  turned  slightly  to  one  side,  takes  the  sac  rather 
gingerly  as  it  leaves  the  cloaca,  and  quickly  disposes  of  it.  In  the  course  of  forty-four 
visits  to  their  young  of  which  exact  record  was  made,  this  nest  was  cleaned  eighteen 


Fig.  ica.    Cedar-bird  cleaning  the  nest.     Compare  this  common 
attitude  with  that  shown  in  Figs.  45  and  46. 


Care  of  Young  and  Nest. 


107 


times  ;  once  a  part  of  the  excreta  was  taken  away  and  a  part  eaten  ;  five  times  it  was  re- 
moved from  the  nest,  and  on  eleven  visits  all  was  devoured. 

After  watching  such  behavior,  which  I  have  seen  repeated  with  slight  variations  hun- 
dreds of  times,  I  am  convinced  that  the  excreta  in  such  cases  is  actually  eaten,  and  not 
merely  taken  into  the  gullet  to  be  later  regurgitated.  It  is  true  that  the  Cedar-bird  uses 
its  distensible  gullet  as  a  temporary  receptacle  for  the  food  destined  for  the  young,  and 
it  might  seem  probable  that  the  excreta  went  no  farther  than  the  oesophagus,  from  which 
it  was  later  ejected.  The  actions  of  the  birds  just  described  and  in  many  similar  cases 
observed  do  not  support  this  idea. 

Not  only  are  the  young  care- 
fully tended  in  the  way  explained, 
but  the  old  birds  often  put  the  head 
down-'-"  in  the  nest  and  rummage 
about  for  any  stray  particle  of  food 
or  fragments  of  any  kind  which  it  is 
desirable  to  remove.  While  stand- 
ing at  the  nest  they  will  sometimes 
pick  energetically  their  own  legs  and 
toes,  and  the  heads  and  bodies  of  the 
young,  a  very  important  function 
where  the  nest  is  infested  with  those 
minute  swarming  particles  known  as 
lice  and  mites.  Every  straw  and 
fiber  in  the  Cedar-bird's  nest  shown 
in  one  of  the  photographs  (Fig.  38)  was 
literally  covered  with  parasites,  in  this 
case  a  species  of  mite  which  is  a  poor 
and  degenerate  relation  of  the  spider. 
When  the  nest  or  anything  in  it  was 
touched  they  would  swarm  up  the 
hand  by  hundreds,  but  they  are 
barely  visible  to  the  eye,  and  apart 
from  a  slight  tickling  sensation  between  the  fingers  are  scarcely  felt.  They  do  not  seem 
to  trouble  the  old  birds  much,  but  must  give  discomfort  to  the  young,  especially  if  from 
any  other  cause  they  happen  to  be  weakly. 

One  would  suppose  that  cleanliness  must  be  an  imperative  instinct  with  such  a  bird 
as  the  Kingfisher,  whose  nest  is  underground,  but  the  semi-fluid  excreta  is  not  re- 
moved from  the  tunnel,  which  according  to  some  observers,  becomes  fouled  in  con- 
sequence. This  was  not  true  of  the  nest  which  I  had  under  observation  last  summer. 
In  the  course  of  seventeen  days  the  nesting  chamber  was  moved  forward  more  than  a 
foot,  so  that  it  always  presented  a  clean  surface. 

The  Barn  Swallow,  the  House  Sparrow,  and  the  wild  Passenger  Pigeon  represent  a 
considerable  number  of  birds  which  secure  protection  in  their  breeding  haunts  by  other 
means  than  by  concealing  the  nest.  While  their  nests  may  be  clean,  this  is  not  true  of 
the  ground  beneath.  It  is  plainly  advantageous  for  the  smaller  birds  which  breed  in 


Fig.  103.     Female  Kingbird  attending  sanitation   of  nest. 


io8 


Wild  Birds. 


solitude  on  or  near  the  ground  to  remove  every  particle  of  litter  which  would  whiten 
the  grass  or  foliage  and  thus  advertise  the  nest  to  their  enemies,  even  to  those  who 
prowl  at  night. 

When  a  Red-eyed  Vireo  whose  actions  I  was  watching  at  close  range  dropped  one 
of  the  sacs  by  accident,  she  would  dart  after  it  and  snap  it  up  before  it  reached  the 
ground  not  four  feet  from  the  nest.  I  have  also  witnessed  the  same  performance  in  the 

Kingbirds.  Not  a  trace  of  defilement 
is  ever  seen  about  the  dwellings  of 
any  bird  possessed  of  the  cleaning 
instinct. 

On  the  other  hand  predaceous 
birds  like  Eagles  and  Hawks  pay  no 
attention  to  such  matters.  The  ex- 
creta of  the  young  as  of  the  adult  is 
voided  in  a  semi-fluid  state  and  in 
a  peculiar  manner.  With  tail  up- 
turned over  the  edge  of  the  nest  it 
is  shot  to  a  distance  of  several  feet, 
and  may  strike  the  ground  two  or 
more  yards  from  the  nesting  tree. 
In  this  way  the  eyry  at  least  is  kept 
clean.  These  bold  and  persistent 
robbers  have  few  enemies  to  reckon 
with,  and  their  nests  may  be  as  open 
to  view  as  a  castle  on  a  hill. 

Owls,  which  breed  in  holes  in 
trees,  are  reported  to  have  filthy 
nests,  especially  when  the  cavity  has 
been  occupied  for  several  successive 
years,  but  this  seems  to  be  due  mainly 
to  the  remains  of  their  quarry  or  to 
the  accumulation  of  the  rejected 
food-pellets.  The  haunts  of  certain 
sea  fowl  are  often  reeking  with  filth 

Fig.  104.     Baltimore  Oriole  hurriedly  feeding  her  young  before          during    the    breeding  SCaSOtt,  and  the 
all  fear  has  been  subdued  and  behavior  is  free.  ° 

guano-beds  of  the  South  American 

coast  mark  the  breeding  grounds  of  myriads  of  sea  fowl.  However,  the  birds  themselves 
both  old  and  young  seem  to  manage  to  keep  clean,  and  any  other  condition  would  soon 
become  intolerable. 

The  Turkey  Buzzard  seems  to  have  touched  the  lowest  depths  of  squalor  to  which 
any  bird  can  descend  and  live.  In  speaking  of  their  abodes,  Audubon  says  that  before 
the  final  departure  of  the  young,  a  person,  if  forced  to  remain  in  their  vicinity  for  half  an 
hour,  would  be  in  danger  of  suffocation.1 

The  cleaning  of  the  young  and  nest  is  instinctive  in  a  very  large  number  of  birds, 

1  Ornithological  Biography,  vol.  ii.,  p.  43. 


Care  of  Young  and  Nest 


109 


and  so  is  also  the  care  with  which  they  avoid  any  defilement  of  the  nesting  site.  The  use 
of  the  excreta  as  food,  however,  is  to  be  regarded  in  a  different  light.  If  it  should  be 
proved  that  in  the  Robin,  for  instance,  some  individuals  never  eat  the  excreta,  while  others 
as  we  know  do,  we  should  regard  the  action  as  an  acquired  habit.  When  the  pellicle 
breaks  in  the  mouth,  an  accident  which  I  have  seen  happen  in  the  case  of  the  Robin,  the 
bird  is  obliged  to  swallow  a  part  in  order  to  get  rid  of  it. 

Much  light  is  thrown  on   this  

^^^^^K^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^M^^^^^K  -_^^f  ^    4  "* 

question    by    the    behavior    of   the     •,^»..  /;,.         «y 

Chestnut-sided  Warblers,  whose 
habits  will  be  referred  to  again  in 
the  concluding  chapter.  Both  sexes 
in  this  case  fed,  brooded,  and 
cleaned  the  young  and  nest.  The 
male  regularly  removed  the  excreta 
but  was  never  seen  to  eat  it.  The 
female  on  the  contrary  often  ate  of 
it,  and  brooded  so  constantly  that 
she  was  obliged  to  leave  the  nest 
to  satisfy  her  own  hunger.  She 
would  often  be  back  in  half  a  minute, 
having  taken  only  a  bite  as  it  were. 
When  the  female  had  received 
the  food  which  her  mate  sup- 
plied and  had  seen  it  safely  deliv- 
ered, she  would  inspect,  devour 
everything  which  needed  removal, 
and  then  continue  to  brood.  If  a 
sac  should  accidentally  fall,  she 
would  snap  it  off  the  ground,  return 
to  the  nest,  and  brood  as  before. 
At  other  times  when  the  male  ap- 
proached she  would  stand  aside 
and  allow  him  to  deliver  the  food 
and  make  the  inspection.  Twice 
I  saw  the  male  take  a  sac  to  carry 
it  away,  and  the  female  snatch  it 

from  him,  swallow  it,  and  settle  down  on  the  nest.  Again  another  sac  was  torn  asunder, 
and  each  bird  went  off  with  a  half  in  its  bill.  In  a  moment  the  female  returned  but 
without  bringing  food,  showing  that  she  had  been  satisfying  her  own  hunger.  This  not 
only  proves  that  the  excreta  is  used  as  food  but  illustrates  how  the  habit  of  eating  it 
may  be  forced  upon  a  hungry  brooding  bird. 

Since  digestion  in  the  young  is  an  imperfect  process  at  best,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
how  any  kind  of  pre-digested  or  partly  digested  food  might  be  acceptable  in  times  of 
stress  when  the  staple  article  was  not  easy  to  procure.  The  fact  that  a  bird  only  casually 
devours  a  pellet  or  swallows  one  and  removes  another  is  easy  to  understand.  It  is  a  ques- 


Fig.  105.    Serving  a  black  cricket  to  a  fledgling  who  has  climbed  to 
the  rim  of  the  nest  and  is  struggling  to  maintain  his  position. 


I  10 


Wild  Birds. 


tion  of  the  hunger  of  the  moment,-  and  another  illustration  of  the  economy  which  birds  dis- 
play in  all  such  matters. 

While  the  removal  of  the  excreta  is  an  instinctive  act,  the  use  of  it  as  food  is  pro- 
bably an  acquired  habit,  the  strength  of  which  depends  on  the  force  of  circumstances, 
and  may  be  limited  in  some  cases  to  one  sex  alone. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  FORCE  OF  HABIT. 

UNDER  some  conditions  habits  are  formed  with  surprising  quickness.  The  habit 
may  be  of  trifling  significance  and  have  only  a  brief  reign,  but  no  habits  are 
absolutely  rigid,  and  the  genesis  of  all  is  probably  the  same, — pleasurable  conse- 
quences following  repeated  actions  which  may  be  forced  or  accidental.  The  result  is  in 
all  cases  similar, — a  mental  association  of  certain  things  with  certain  actions. 

While  watching  hour  by  hour  the  Robins  described  in  Chapter  IV,  and  recording 
their  visits  to  their  young,  I  began  to  notice  on  the  third  day  that  the  male  usually 
approached  on  the  right  side  of  the  nest,  that  is  on  the  observer's  right  as  he  stood  facing 
it,  while  the  female  frequently  came  to  the  back  or  on  the  left.  From  that  time  I  recorded 
the  manner  of  each  approach,  and  found  that  the  male  invariably  came  to  the  right  side, 
and  hopped  down  the  limb  to  his  nest. 

In  the  table  given  below  in  which  the  visits  of  both  birds  are  recorded  for  two  con- 
secutive days,  R  is  for  the  right,  L  for  the  left,  and  B  for  the  far  side  of  the  nest  with 
reference  to  the  tent,  while  the  dashes  represent  visits  the  character  of  which  was  unde- 
termined. Each  sign  represents  a  visit  to  the  nest,  at  which  food  was  usually  served. 

(  Female  R  R  —  RRLBRRRRRB  RL L  R  - 

July  zyth.     Third  day  of  Ob-  J  L R 

servation— 64-  hours.  1  Male     RBRRRRRRRR  —  RRB  —  RRR R 

I  R- 

July  28th.    Fourth  day  of  Ob-  (  Female  LBBLB  —  B-  -  B  B  - 

servation— 4  hours.  j  Male     RRRRRRRRRRRRR—  RRR 

For  the  fourth  day  I  have  no  record  of  the  female  approaching  by  the  right  side,  and 
no  record  of  the  male  coming  in  any  other  way.  On  the  two  following  days  the  female 
did  not  appear,  and  as  I  had  reason  to  believe,  was  engaged  in  building  a  new  nest. 
The  male  at  this  period  always  approached  his  nest  in  the  habitual  manner.  Now 
whether  the  male  bird  had  formed  this  habit  shortly  after  the  nest  was  built  or  shortly 
after  the  nesting  bough  was  removed  is  of  little  consequence.  At  all  events  a  definite 
mode  of  behavior  had  developed  in  a  short  space  of  time,  in  one  case  in  two  weeks  or  in 
the  other  in  two  days.  On  the  fourth  day  the  young  had  to  be  brooded  often,  owing  to 
the  heat,  which  accounts  for  the  apparent  inactivity  of  the  female  in  providing  food. 

Probably  most  birds  form  definite  habits  in  the  manner  of  approach  to  the  nest, 
entering  on  a  certain  side,  or  flying  to  a  certain  twig,  following  the  path  suggested  in  the 
first  instance  by  convenience  or  dictated  by  caution.  A  pair  of  Red-eyed  Vireos  with 
whom  I  spent  parts  of  three  days  followed  a  definite  course  in  approach  with  surprising 


I  12 


Wild  Birds. 


Figs.  106,  107.  Male  Redwing  Blackbird  cleaning  nest  on  two 
distinct  visits;  photographed  under  similar  conditions,  and  illus- 
trating the  formation  of  habit  in  the  daily  routine. 


regularity.  They  would  fly  to  the 
main  branch,  hop  along  toward  the 
fork  in  which  the  nest  was  suspended, 
and  finally  perch  on  a  small  con- 
venient twig  just  over  their  young. 
Out  of  sixty  recorded  visits  they  de- 
viated from  this  habitual  method  but 
three  times,  and  then  only  before 
they  had  recovered  from  their  first 
feelings  of  fear.  In  this  case  the  nest- 
ing branch  had  been  drawn  down 
about  a  foot  by  means  of  a  cord,  but 
was  not  otherwise  disturbed. 

In  cleaning  the  nest  the  attitude 
is  frequently  the  same  in  successive 
visits,  the  birds  often  clasping  the 
same  twigs,  so  that  a  number  of  pho- 
tographs of  the  act  taken  without 
moving  the  camera  may  be  so  nearly 
identical  that  only  the  most  careful 
inspection  will  reveal  the  least  differ- 
ence in  pose  or  position. 

While  engaged  in  studying  some 
Redwing  Blackbirds  last  July  the 
weather  was  hot,  and  the  young  had 
to  be  brooded  almost  constantly. 
The  female  would  sit  on  the  nest, 
often  with  back  to  the  tent,  with 
feathers  erect  and  mouth  open  in  her 
efforts  to  keep  cool.  Suddenly  the 
shriek  of  a  steam  whistle  sounded  the 
hour  of  noon  at  a  mill  scarcely  three 
rods  away.  It  startled  me,  but  the 
bird  did  not  budge  a  feather.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  imagine  that  her  first 
experience  with  this  instrument  of 
torture  was  quite  different  in  its  re- 
sult, but  the  case  illustrates  the  ease 
with  which  birds  become  quickly  ac- 
customed to  strange  and  uncouth 
sounds,  when,  as  sometimes  happens, 
they  place  their  nests  in  a  saw-mill 
a  few  feet  from  the  buzzing  saw  or 
above  the  grinding  trolley  cars  of  a 
city  street. 


The  Force  of  Habit. 


Every  animal  must  adapt  itself 
in  some  measure  to  changes  in  its 
surroundings,  and  with  birds  this 
power  is  well  expressed  in  the  nest, 
the  position,  materials,  and  construc- 
tion of  which  are  subject  to  incessant 
change.  The  change  may  be  slight 
or  of  a  very  marked  character,  as 
when  the  common  type  of  archi- 
tecture is  abandoned,  or  a  distinct 
nest-structure  wanting.  Only  a  few 
examples  of  change  in  nesting  habits 
need  be  considered  since  the  facts 
are  matters  of  common  observation. 

The  Swift  of  this  country  is  often 
quoted  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
examples  of  birds  whose  nesting 

x  o 

habits  have  changed  in  recent  times. 
Formerly  breeding  in  hollow  trees 
and  still  doing  so  in  places  remote 
from  mankind,  it  now  attaches  its 
little  wicker  crates  to  the  inside  of 
chimneys.  From  the  standpoint  of 
the  Swift  the  change  has  really  been 
very  slight,  and  had  it  not  become  so 
widespread  it  would  have  attracted 
little  attention.  This  bird  was  proba- 
bly drawn  to  the  town  and  open  coun- 
try by  the  greater  abundance  of  its 
insect  prey,  and  to  the  mind  of  the 
Swift  a  chimney  cannot  be  very  differ- 
ent from  a  hollow  tree.  Its  instinct 
probably  does  not  lead  it  to  select  a 
dead  tree  for  its  roosts  or  nests  be- 
cause it  is  a  tree,  any  more  than  it 
leads  it  to  prefer  a  sycamore  to  an 
oak.  What  is  probably  inherited  is 
the  tendency  to  seek  a  dark  or  cav- 
ernous place  with  easy  entrance  and 
exit.  The  chimney  which  emits  no 
smoke  in  summer  and  usually  stands 
in  the  open,  fulfils  every  requirement 
in  places  where  hollow  trees  are 
scarce. 

The    Swift    is    yet    capable    of 


Fig.  108.     Cock  Robin  with  large  grasshopper  ready. 
Fig.  109.     The  same  bird  taking  aim. 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig-,  no.     Ready  to  inspect.     Notice  that  he  invariably  comes  to 
the  right  side  by  force  of  habit. 


Fig.  in.     Inspecting  the  household.     The  female  approaches  on 
the  left. 


adapting  its  needs  to  conditions  far 
more  unlike  those  of  the  ancestral 
tree,  and  has  been  known  to  enter 
a  barn  and  nest  with  the  Barn 
Swallows.  This  happened  in  Dorset, 
Ohio,1  where  some  Swifts  fastened 
their  nest  to  the  vertical  boards 
near  a  hole  made  for  the  conven- 
ience of  the  Swallows,  and  just  below 
the  peak  of  the  roof.  Five  young 
were  hatched  and  were  seen  clinging 
to  the  boards  just  beneath  the  nest. 
The  old  birds  would  sometimes  enter 
by  the  open  door,  fly  straight  to  the 
nest  and  cling  to  the  wall  beside  it. 
The  quavering  voices  of  the  little 
Swifts  would  then  drown  every  other 
sound  about  the  place. 

In  still  another  case,2  a  pair  of 
Swifts  nested  in  the  dim  interior  of  a 
shed  beside  an  old  saw-mill  at  Dor- 
chester, New  Hampshire,  in  June, 
1899.  This  nest  was  fastened  to  the 
boards,  well  up  towards  the  roof,  and 
an  open  door  formed  easy  entrance 
and  egress. 

In  at  least  one  respect  birds 
resemble  men  in  their  ordinary  build- 
ing operations.  They  make  use  of 
the  materials  at  hand,  but  in  the  se- 
lection of  the  site  for  the  nest  many 
seem  to  obey  no  rule,  being  ever  on 
the  alert  to  adapt  themselves  to  their 
lot,  and  a  habit  once  formed  often 
leads  to  a  steady  line  of  conduct. 

The  English  Sparrow  has  even 
found  a  convenient  shelf  in  the 
hood  of  the  electric  arc  lamps,  and 
although  these  are  lowered  daily  to 
the  street,  it  sticks  to  its  nest  over 
the  light.  I  have  seen  this  impudent 
little  wretch  dispossess  the  Eaves 

1  This  account   was   given    to   me   by    Mr. 
Robert  J.  Sim. 

4  Observed  by  Professor  William  Patten. 


The  Force  of  Habit. 


Swallow  and  convert  its  mud  retort  into  a  grass-lined  nest  of  its  own.  This  occurred  at 
Basin  Harbor,  Vermont,  in  1883,  before  the  Sparrows  were  so  generally  condemned.  The 
nests  were  in  line  under  the  eaves  of  a  farmer's  barn,  and  the  Swallows  were  still  fighting 
for  possession.  About  every  other  nest  was  then  occupied  by  the  Sparrows. 

The  Osprey  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  remarkable  nest-builders  in  the  world,  but  a 
wonderful  adept  in  making  the  most  of  its  opportunities.  In  selecting  a  site  for  its 
mountain  of  a  nest,  it  seems  at  times  to  exercise  little  choice,  taking  whatever  offers. 
Apparently  its  controlling  ambition  is  to  raise  a  huge  edifice  in  the  construction  of  which 
nothing  comes  amiss  which  can  be  seized  and  carried  in  its  powerful  talons.  In  its  build- 
ing operations  this  bird  seems  to  have  an  eye  for  the  centuries  rather  than  the  years,  and 
some  of  its  eyries  formed  on 
rocky  crags  have  possibly  ex- 
isted for  more  than  a  hundred 
years,  or  might  last  so  long  if 
undisturbed  by  man.  This 
Hawk  will  nest  on  the  ground, 
on  rocks,  in  low  or  high  trees, 
in  woods  or  in  the  open,  on  a 
chimney,  a  pile  of  rails,  a  rock- 
ing buoy,  or  a  dilapidated 
windmill.  It  will  even  suffer 
its  nest  to  be  displaced,  and  at 
Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  it  eager- 
ly appropriates  the  cart  wheel 
which  the  hospitable  farmers 
raise  aloft  on  the  tops  of  poles 
for  the  benefit  of  these  birds. 

At  Plum  Island,  New 
York,  which  was  formerly  col- 
onized by  hundreds  of  Os- 
preys,  Mr.  Allen  found  their 
nests  in  almost  every  conceivable  situation,  about  thirty  or  forty  per  cent,  of  them  being 
on  the  ground.  "  High  rocks  on  the  shore,  and  low  rocks  far  out  in  the  water,  scarcely 
above  high  tide  and  swept  by  the  autumn  storms,  were  chosen  as  situations  for  the  nests. 
A  large  buoy,  with  a  lattice  work  top,  near  the  west  end  of  Fisher's  Island,  was  also 
occupied  for  many  years  by  a  nest  of  these  birds,  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  sailors  and 
fishermen,  who  were  warned  in  thick  weather  of  the  position  of  the  buoy  by  the  screaming 
of  the  Fish  Hawks."  ' 

An  observer  who  described  a  nest  on  an  old  windmill  said  that  while  the  fan  of  the 
mill  was  gone  "the  rudder  remained,  and  the  wind  catching  this  would  swing  the  nest 
part  way  round,  and  then  the  wind  changing  slightly  would  swing  it  back  again  ;  the  sit- 
ting female  not  seeming  to  mind  the  movement  in  the  least."  ' 

On  the  shore  of  Narragansett  Bay,  Rhode  Island,  which  has  been  colonized  by  Fish 

1  "  Breeding  Habits  of  Ihe  Fish  Hawk  on  Plum  Island.  New  York."    C.  S.  Allen,  The  Auk,  vol.  ix..  p.  315.    1892. 
4  The  Osprey,  vol.  ii.,  p.  55.     Many  interesting  pictures  of  nests  of  the  Osprey  have   been  published  in  this 
magazine. 


Fig.  112.     Female  Kingbird  inserting  an  insect  into  the  throat  of  a  fledgling. 


n6  Wild  Birds. 

Hawks  from  an  early  period,  the  birds  are  not  only  protected  by  law,  but  are  offered 
every  inducement  to  make  them  feel  at  home.1  When  a  dead  tree  containing  a  nest  is 
blown  down  the  owner  of  the  land  will  sometimes  erect  a  tall  pole,  with  a  carriage  wheel 
laid  flat  on  top.  The  birds  readily  accept  the  new  wheel  of  fortune,  which  becomes 
their  home. 

In  selecting  a  bare  tree  or  a  wheel  on  top  of  a  pole  the  hawk  makes  a  nice  choice,  for 
owing  to  its  great  extent  of  wing,  as  with  the  eagle,  it  is  convenient  to  have  the  path  to 
the  nest  free  from  obstructions. 

When  an  Osprey  loses  its  mate  its  actions  seem  to  depend  on  its  character.  A  case  is 
reported  where  two  birds  were  seen  to  pair  on  the  second  day  after  each  had  lost  a  mate, 
while  another  who  was  bereft  by  a  stroke  of  lightning,  which  destroyed  both  the  nest 
and  the  sitting  bird,  is  said  to  have  lingered  about  the  spot  for  the  remainder  of  the 
summer,  and  to  have  even  returned  the  next  year  still  unmated  to  his  solitary  vigil." 

The  diet  of  an  insectivorous  bird  is  extremely  varied  at  all  times,  depending  much 
upon  the  locality  and  the  season  of  the  year.  While  a  few  kinds  of  insects  may  be  avoided 
because  of  a  repugnant  odor  or  taste,  they  capture  as  a  rule  whatever  comes  in  their 
way.  The  Robin  commonly  brings  to  its  nest  grasshoppers,  crickets,  katydids,  and 
angleworms,  because  in  its  customary  manner  of  search  it  finds  and  is  able  to  secure  these 
forms  in  abundance.  The  Kingbird,  which  takes  most  of  its  prey  on  the  wing,  discovers  a 
far  greater  variety.  When  certain  species  of  insects  are  abundant  they  are  often  eaten 
by  many  birds  who  under  ordinary  conditions  would  never  touch  them.  Thus  during  a 
plague  of  Rocky  Mountain  locusts  which  visited  the  Western  States,  these  insects  are 
reported  to  have  been  eaten  by  nearly  every  bird  in  the  region,  and  to  have  served 
as  a  staple  for  most  of  the  species.  Birds  of  prey  such  as  the  smaller  hawks  and 
owls  devoured  them  eagerly.  The  food  habits  of  most  birds  are  exceedingly  plastic 
and  liable  to  sudden  change  under  the  spur  of  necessity. 

A  good  illustration  of  a  change  in  feeding  habits  has  been  recently  given.3  It  appears 
that  the  Rhinoceros-bird  (Buphaga  erythrcepynchci)  was  until  lately  regarded  as  so  valuable  a 
scavenger  that  it  was  accorded  special  protection  by  law  in  British  East  Africa.  Its  habit 
was  to  feed  on  the  ticks  and  other  parasites  which  infest  wild  and  domestic  animals.  "  Since 
the  cattle  plague,"  says  Captain  Hinde,  "  destroyed  the  immense  herds  in  Ukambani,  and 
nearly  all  the  sheep  and  goats  were  eaten  during  the  late  famine,  the  birds,  deprived  of 
their  food,  have  become  carnivorous,  and  now  any  domestic  animal  not  constantly  watched 
is  killed  by  them.  Perfectly  healthy  animals  have  their  ears  eaten  down  to  the  bone, 
holes  torn  in  their  backs  and  in  the  femoral  regions."  The  new  conditions  introduced  by 
man  have  thus  converted  a  useful  animal  into  a  dangerous  pest. 

1  For  an  interesting  account  of  the  nesting  habits  of  the  Osprey  see  Forest  and  Stream,  July  7,  1900. 

2  The  Osprey,  vol.  ii,,  p.  50. 

3  Nature,  vol.  Ixii.,  p.  366,  1900. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
FEAR  IN  BIRDS. 

BIRDS  as  a  rule  are  possessed  of  fear  which  is  primarily  an  instinct,  but  as  we  shall 
see  later  on  many  species  in  their  natural  adult  state  are  entirely  devoid  of  this 
sense.  With  others  it  may  wax  or  wane  according  to  their  environment  or  indi- 
vidual experiences.  Again  the  nature  of  the  fear  manifested  varies  with  age  or  the 
period  of  life.  It  is  a  generalized  sense  of  fear,  or  fear  of  the  strange  and  unusual,  which 
comes  over  the  young  bird,  while  later  it  learns  to  dread  particular  objects  or  sounds  with 
which  some  bitter  experience  is  associated.  Furthermore,  the  time  of  the  appearance  of 
the  instinct  varies  in  different  species,  coming  late  in  some  and  early  in  others.  Generally 
speaking  the  manifestation  of  fear  is  well  timed,  and  is  an  adaptation  for  the  good  of  its 
possessor. 

Let  us  first  see  how  fear  enters  into  the  life  of  the  young.  Birds  are  sometimes 
roughly  classified  into  altricial  species,  which  feed  their  young  for  days  or  weeks  at  the 
nest,  and  praecocial  birds,  whose  young  are  born  clad  in  soft  down,  and  are  able  to  walk, 
run,  or  swim  at  once  or  very  soon  after  hatching.  The  Altrices  like  the  Robin,  Wood- 
pecker, and  Humming-bird  are  hatched  from  eggs  which  are  small  in  relation  to  the  size 
of  the  parent,  and  the  young  are  at  first  blind,  helpless,  and  more  or  less  completely 
naked.  In  all  such  the  nest  is  only  a  temporary  home,  but  is  often  very  elaborate,  while 
the  instinct  of  fear  is  delayed  or  deferred  until  the  time  of  flight,  a  period  varying  from  a 
few  days  to  three  weeks  or  more.  The  Praecoces  lay  eggs  with  big  yolks,  upon  the 
stored  energy  of  which  the  unhatched  young  subsist  until  they  step  forth  into  the  world, 
seeing,  able  to  walk  or  swim,  and  in  some  degree  their  own  masters.  The  common  do- 
mestic fowls,  Partridges,  Ostriches,  Geese,  Loons,  Plover,  and  Snipe,  are  some  of  the  better 
known  representatives  of  this  group,  but  the  dividing  line  is  never  sharply  drawn,  and 
there  are  innumerable  gradations  between  the  extremes  in  either  class.  In  the  praecocial 
birds  the  feeling  of  fear  is  either  present  at  birth,  or  appears  in  a  very  few  hours  or  days, 

As  an  illustration  of  the  development  of  fear  in  the  altricial  kinds  one  might  select 
any  of  the  common  passerine  birds,  Thrushes,  Warblers,  Finches,  or  Flycatchers,  but  we 
should  bear  in  mind  that  the  development  of  this  instinct  is  not  always  uniformly  timed, 
even  in  the  same  species.  We  will  choose  the  Catbird,  the  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  and 
the  Kingfisher. 

•When  I  first  camped  beside  a  Catbird's  nest  (No.  6  of  table,  Chap.  I.)  last  summer, 
the  young,  who  were  then  about  a  week  old,  were  incapable  of  fear.  They  would  shift 
about  the  nest  to  get  into  the  shade,  pant,  and  erect  their  growing  head-feathers.  When 
a  breeze  rocked  the  cradle,  or  a  Redwing  Blackbird  sang  his  conquer-ee,  or  the  parent 

117 


Wild  Birds. 


Fig.  113.     Eggs  and  young  of  altricial  Cedar-bird.     Young  about 
thirty-six  hours  old — blind  and  naked. 


Fig.  114.      Bird  on  left  shows  instinctive  response  to  sound  or 
vibratory  movement,  and  the  use  of  wings  for  support. 


Fig.  115.  Bird  to  the  left  in  reptilian  crouching  attitude  ;  at  the 
right,  as  in  Fig.  113,  the  characteristic  response  of  the  new-born 
bird  is  seen,  and  the  use  of  the  pot-belly  as  a  foot.  About  ?  life-size. 


came  with  meat  or  fruit  they 
stretched  necks,  opened  mouths, 
each  struggling  to  get  some  advant- 
age over  the  other,  and  uttered  their 
sharp  tsit !  tsit !  notes.  You  could 
handle  them  at  will ;  they  were  ab- 
solutely fearless.  If  such  a  nest  is 
overturned  they  will  cling  to  it  but 
will  never  cower  or  crouch. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  clipping  of 
a  leaf  at  this  nest  two  days  later  sent 
them  off  in  a  panic,  and  all  hurried 
to  the  nearest  cover.  Should  you 
succeed  in  catching  them  under  such 
circumstances,  which  is  doubtful,  and 
try  to  replace  them  in  the  nest,  they 
will  pop  out  repeatedly  as  if  mounted 
on  springs,  and  if  you  try  to  hold 
them  in  the  hand  they  will  struggle, 
squeal  and  fairly  shriek  in  their  en- 
deavors to  escape.  They  are  now 
covered  with  a  coat  of  slate-colored 
feathers,  but  fly  with  difficulty. 
When  placed  on  open  ground  they 
hop  off  at  once  toward  the  nearest 
bush.  No  greater  change  in  the 
behavior  of  a  wild  bird  is  ever  wit- 
nessed than  that  which  the  sense  of 
fear  brings  to  pass. 

I  have  seen  a  young  Chestnut- 
sided  Warbler  jump  out  of  its  nest, 
when  unable  to  stand  erect  and 
much  less  to  use  its  wings.  In  this 
case  the  pin-feathers  of  the  wings 
had  barely  burst,  and  the  body  was 
nearly  naked.  When  the  bird  was 
returned  to  its  nest,  it  refused  to  re- 
main until  the  operation  was  many 
times  repeated  and  it  was  finally 
overcome  by  fatigue.  I  have  known 
the  young  of  the  Redstart  to  leave 
the  nest  remarkably  early,  but  the 
case  just  recorded  appears  to  be 
somewhat  exceptional. 

The  instinct  of  fear  comes  with 


Fear  in  Birds. 


119 


a  certain  maturity  of  the  nervous  system,  with  comparative  suddenness,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  but  is  usually  timed  to  correspond  with  the  development  of  the  wing-quills  and 
the  power  of  flight. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four  days  the  Kingfisher  is  in  full  feather,  but  shows  no  fear. 
He  will  perch  comfortably  on  your  hand  or  shoulder,  and  pose  in  any  desired  position, 
as  the  photographs  made  at  this  period  will  show,  but  the  instinct  soon  appears  after  this 
stage  is  passed.  In  from  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  hours  later  when  these  birds  not  only 
possess  the  power  of  flight,  but  use  it  at  the  first  intimation  of  danger,  their  docile  nature 
has  completely  changed.  With  them  the  late  development  of  this  instinct  is  most  oppor- 


Fig.  116.     Young  Kingfishers  twenty-four  days  old.     They  are  capable  of  flight,  but  show 
no  fear. 

tune,  since  they  are  not  tempted  to  leave  the  security  of  their  tunnel  in  the  ground  until 
they  can  make  long  excursions  and  follow  their  parents  to  the  favorite  fishing  grounds. 

Turning  now  to  the  praecocial  birds,  according  to  the  best  testimony,  fear  in  the 
domestic  chick  hatched  in  an  incubator  is  at  first  very  slight  and  is  soon  checked  by  con- 
trary impulses  such  as  to  nestle  in  a  warm  place,  unless  the  instinct  be  brought  into 
immediate  exercise. 

Mr.  Charles  A.  Allen  says  that  the  newly  hatched  young  of  the  Black  Duck  (Anas 
obscura]  show  no  fear,  but  will  "  cuddle  under  one's  hand  very  confidingly."  1  once  saw 
a  nest  of  this  species  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  near  Burlington,  Vermont,  on  the 
very  verge  of  a  high,  overhanging  cliff.  It  was  set  against  the  stems  of  a  slender  shrub, 
the  pulling  of  which  would  doubtless  have  precipitated  the  entire  clutch  fifty  feet  into 


I2O 


Wild  Birds. 


the  water  below.  A  little  delay  in  the  instinctive  reaction  of  fear  could  hardly  come 
amiss  to  young  in  such  a  nest.  On  the  other  hand  when  the  ducklings  have  been  led  to 
the  water  no  birds  show  a  keener  sense  of  fear  than  they  or  respond  more  promptly  to 
the  alarm  signals  of  their  parents.  I  was  greatly  impressed  when  a  boy  at  the  sight  of  a 
Black  Duck  leading  her  trim  little  fleet  of  yellow  sail  up  the  mouth  of  a  small  sedge- 
bordered  stream.  The  old 
bird  quickly  gave  the  alarm, 
rose,  veered,  and  flew  to- 
wards the  river,  while  the 
young  scrambled  to  the  bank 
and  hid  in  the  rushes.  I 
hunted  long  but  succeeded 
in  finding  only  one  who  lay 
flat  in  the  marsh  and  kept 
perfectly  still,  true  to  its  in- 
herited instinct.  These 
ducklings  had  not  been 
afloat  many  hours,  and  had 
this  action  been  repeated  be- 
fore, the  lesson  could  not 
have  been  taught,  since,  as 
we  have  seen,  the  young 
under  such  circumstances 
are  left  to  their  own  devices. 
I  have  seen  a  young 
chick  while  feeding  quietly 
close  to  the  house  suddenly 
turn  its  head,  look  straight 
at  the  zenith,  and  then  run 
off  in  a  panic  of  fear.  Look- 
ing up  also  I  saw  a  Hen 
Hawk  sailing  aloft  like  a  toy- 
kite,  a  mere  speck  against 
the  blue  heavens.  I  think 
it  probable  that  the  bird  got 
an  alarm  signal  from  some 

other  fowls  in  the  yard  ;  at  all  events  it  knew  where  to  look,  and  its  response  was  not 
slow.  This  chicken  may  have  been  three  weeks  old,  and  so  had  ample  time  to  learn 
its  lesson,  if  such  it  was.  Had  the.  dark  object  been  a  paper  kite  it  is  not  likely  that 
the  fear  evoked  would  have  been  appreciably  less. 

In  altricial  birds  the  sense  of  fear  usually  comes,  as  we  have  seen,  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  flight  feathers,  but  it  is  often  premature,  thus  indirectly  causing  the 
death  of  thousands  of  birds  every  year.  In  July  and  August  how  many  helpless  spar- 
rows and  thrushes  are  found  on  the  ground,  having  left  their  nests  too  early !  Some- 
times they  tumble  out  by  accident,  are  drawn  off  by  hunger,  or  are  blown  out  in  a  gale, 


Fig.  117.  Young  Cedar-birds  in  displaced  nest  standing  in  characteristic  at- 
titude with  upturned  heads.  Photographed  on  day  of  flight,  July  17,  1899, 
when  possessed  of  fear.  For  account,  see  page  60. 


Fear  in  Birds. 


121 


but  I  believe  that  by  far  the  greater  number  of  such  strays  are  driven  forth  by  fright,  and 
when  this  perilous  step  has  once  been  taken  it  can  seldom  be  retraced.  The  young  of 
such  birds  as  the  Wilson  thrushes,  whose  nests  are  on  or  near  the  ground  out  of  the 
reach  of  storms,  are  often  found  in  this  predicament.1 

Many  immature  birds  which  I  have  watched  at  the  nest  show  no  precise  powers  of 
discrimination  in  any  direc- 
tion. You  will  see  them 
respond  as  promptly  to  the 
flutter  of  a  leaf  or  the  call- 
note  of  any  passing  bird  as 
to  their  own  mother's  voice 
but  a  more  curious  specta- 
cle may  be  witnessed  when 
a  fledgling  of  one  of  our 
common  species  like,  the 
Baltimore  Oriole  climbs  to 
the  top  of  its  nest.  All  the 
others  immediately  salute  it 
as  if  it  were  an  old  bird, 
and  with  open  mouths  beg 
vainly  to  be  fed.  If  a  young 
bird  within  a  day  of  taking 
flight  cannot  distinguish 
one  of  its  brothers  from  its 
mother,  it  can  hardly  be 
expected  to  "  know  a  hawk 
from  a  handsaw,"  or  an 
enemy  from  a  friend. 

After  taking  flight  the 
young  of  altricial  birds  are 
fed  by  one  or  both  parents 
for  a  period  of  days  or 
weeks,  and  much  is  quickly 
learned  by  imitation  and  in- 
dividual experience.  Their 
ingrained  sense  of  fear  becomes  in  the  course  of  time  gradually  specialized  in  certain 
directions.  Fear  of  man,  guns,  hawks,  snakes,  cats  and  the  various  agents  of  destruction 
with  which  each  species  must  contend  in  the  course  of  its  life,  seems  in  every  case  to 
be  acquired  or  learned  rather  than  inherited. 

On  the  last  day  of  June  I  found  a  Cowbird  nearly  full-fledged  but  either  unable  or 
disinclined  to  fly.     He  occupied  the  nest  of  a  warbler,  apparently  the  species  known  as 

1  The  huge  pot-belly  of  the  young  altricial  bird  has  a  use  quite  apart  from  the  function  of  digestion.  It  anchors 
it  to  the  nest,  and  as  in  the  modern  "  Brownie"  keeps  it  right  side  up.  The  pliant  viscera  conform  to  every  move- 
ment, and  form  a  central  supporting  pillar  long  before  the  legs  can  sustain  the  weight  of  the  body.  (See  young 
Cedar-birds  in  Figs.  113-115.) 


Fig.  n8.     Brown  Thrush  startled  while  at  nest :  attitude  of  keen  attention. 


122 


Wild  Birds. 


the  Black  and  Yellow  or  Magnolia  Warbler,  and  as  his  photograph  shows,  filled  it  com- 
pletely. He  would  stand  on  the  rim  of  the  nest  and,  with  raised  feathers,  squeak  and  call 
vehemently  for  his  foster  parents.  I  took  from  beneath  him  the  dried  mummy  of  a  little 
warbler  and  one  addled  egg,  which  illustrates  the  advantage  nature  gives  this  bird  over 
his  competitors  in  early  life.  He  showed  no  fear,  but  clung  like  a  monkey  to  the  nest, 
while  I  carried  the  branch  several  hundred  feet  to  find  a  quiet  place  out  of  the  wind.  I 
regret  that  I  cannot  show  the  nurse  feeding  this  monster,  but  unfortunately  the  day  was 
stormy  and  the  bird  was  soon  gone. 

Many  birds  have  alarm  calls  or  signals  of  distress,  which  attract  or  arouse  other 
species,  as  every  one  knows  who  has  studied  birds  in  the  country.  I  remember  seeing  an 

unusually  striking  exhibi- 
tion of  this  fact  while 
watching  unobserved 
some  Red  Crossbills  en- 
gaged in  picking  the  seeds 
out  of  pine  cones.  They 
were  on  the  ground  in  a 
run  where  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  the  birds  to  see 
out  on  either  side.  A 
Crow  espied  me  at  a  dis- 
tance, gave  his  short  quick 
alarm  car  !  car  !  when  the 
Crossbills  went  off  as  if 
carried  in  a  whirlwind. 
They  had  apparently  seen 
nothing  to  awaken  suspic- 
ion, and  the  crow  is  not 
their  enemy  so  far  as  I  am 
aware. 

When    a  robin    hears 
the  alarm  call  of  his  mate, 

Fig.  119.      Cock  Robin  startled  while  at  nest  by  a  quick,   decisive  alarm   call 
from  his  mate.     His  head  shot  up  like  a  flash,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  off.  his  head   gOCS  Up  instantly, 

and  he  stands  for  a  mo- 
ment with  outstretched  neck,  listening  intently  to  see  if  he  is  needed.  I  was  fortunate 
in  catching  the  male  bird  at  the  nest  in  just  this  attitude,  expressive  of  attention  and 
wariness,  bordering  on  fear. 

A  hawk,  owl,  crow,  cat,  snake,  or  any  well-known  or  dreaded  enemy  of  birds  will  set  the 
community  in  a  hubbub  in  a  very  short  time.  Birds  of  other  species  hurry  to  the  scene  out 
of  sympathy  or  curiosity,  as  some  would  say,  but  probably  more  from  instinct  of  a  different 
character.  The  smallest  spark  often  kindles  the  largest  blaze.  Thus  while  passing  through 
a  pasture  last  June  I  happened  to  encounter  a  Robin  with  mouth  stuffed  with  food,  as  if  on 
the  way  to  her  nest.  She  at  once  set  up  a  loud  cry,  and  mounting  the  bare  branch  of  a  dead 
apple  tree,  in  five  minutes  drummed  up  eleven  different  birds,  among  which  I  recognized 
the  Baltimore  Oriole,  Brown  Thrush,  two  Catbirds,  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  Red-eyed 


Fear  in  Birds. 


123 


Vireo,  Maryland  Yellow  Throat,  Song  Sparrow,  Chickadee,  the  Redstart  and  a  Goldfinch, 
many  of  which  became  excited  and  joined  in  the  general  outcry. 

On  a  warm  July  day  while  crossing  a  barren  strip  of  land,  which  bore  a  crop  of 
golden-rod  and  sweet-fern,  my  attention  was  called  to  a  small  brown  bird  with  a  large 
grasshopper  in  its  beak.  It  was  the  Bay-winged  Bunting  or  Grass  Finch,  and  the  prey 
was  clearly  intended  for  her  young,  but  instead  of  delivering  it  she  hopped  nervously 
about,  uttering  her  sharpest  monosyllables,  in  the  course  of  which  she  finally  dropped  the 
prey.  Thinking  that  her  young  were  at  hand,  I  sat  down  to  await  developments.  Pres- 
ently several  Buntings  dashed  up  to  the  spot  a  few  yards  away.  They  glanced  down  at 
the  ground,  and  then  at  me, 
emitting  such  a  flow  of  incisive 
protests  as  to  suggest  the  at- 
tempt to  draw  attention  from 
their  nest.  This  was  plainly  not 
the  case  when  some  Kingbirds 

o 

left  their  young  in  a  neighboring 
tree,  and  raising  their  war-cry, 
hovered  over  the  spot  and  darted 
at  some  object  on  the  ground. 
Thereupon  going  to  the  place,  I 
almost  stepped  on  what  looked 
at  first  like  a  coil  of  rubber  hose 
in  the  grass.  It  proved  to  be  a 
large  black  snake,  whose  head 
was  distorted  in  the  act  of  swal- 
lowing a  young  bird.  The  crisis 
for  the  unfortunate  bird  being 
past,  I  stood  by  and  watched  the 
proceedings.  The  snake  had 
taken  his  victim  head  first,  and 
its  body  was  slowly  disappearing 
between  his  distended  jaws.  As 

I    disturbed    his    meal,    he    folded  Fig.  120.     Red-tailed  Hawk,  four  months  old,  in  attitude  expressive  of 

his    dull,    rubber-like    body  into  a  his  own  fear,  and  well  calculated  to  inspire  fear  in  others.      The  young 

•>  bird  at  the  nest  will  spread  its  wings  as  well  as  erect  its  Elizabethan 

Coil    and     his     gleaming    eyes    be-  frill,  and  hiss  at  intruders. 

trayed    an   unpleasant   frame   of 

mind.  When  I  approached  nearer,  he  lifted  his  swollen  head  high  in  the  air,  and  slowly 
glided  off  to  enjoy  his  spoils  in  peace;  but  his  enemy  followed.  On  this  occasion  we  had  the 
serpent  at  a  disadvantage,  but  he  did  not  remain  muzzled  long  Having  proceeded  thus  far, 
that  bird  had  to  go  down,  notwithstanding  the  throes  of  deglutition.  It  was  a  tax  upon 
the  salivary  glands,  but  they  were  equal  to  the  task,  and  the  pliant  jaws  soon  closed  over 
their  victim.  What  a  picture  of  stealth  this  animal  made  as  with  head  erect,  and  eyes 
darting  angry  glances,  he  stole  through  the  grass  !  The  first  act  of  the  tragedy  being  closed, 
it  was  time  to  add  the  final  touches  of  the  second.  As  I  struck  at  him  with  my  cane  how 
he  shot  through  the  grass,  and  it  required  no  little  speed  to  reach  him  for  the  fatal  blow ! 


124 


Wild   Birds. 


We  have  seen  that  the  instinct  of  fear  is  inherited,  and  often  delayed,  where  it  is  a 
special  adaptation,  not  only  leading  the  young,  as  Lloyd  Morgan  remarks,  to  accept  a 
foster  parent  and  not  to  shrink  from  her,  but  what  is  more  important,  keeping  the  young 
in  the  nest,  barring  accidents,  until  they  can  in  some  degree  help  themselves.  Fear  of 
particular  objects  is  learned,  or  becomes  grafted  on  to  the  original  stock.  The  instinct 
may  gather  force  or  disappear,  at  least  in  adult  life,  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
environment  and  the  new  habits  formed  in  consequence.  The  instinctive  basis  of  fear  is 
apparently  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation,  but  in  the  life  of  the  full-grown 
bird,  it  is  probably  largely  replaced  by  habit,  or  the  formation  of  associations.  The 
innate  or  latent  capacity  remains,  but  the  definite  association  of  certain  actions  with 
particular  objects  or  experiences  is  probably  handed  down  by  tradition  rather  than  by 
heredity. 


Fig.  I3i.     Young  Cowbird  and  nest  of  Magnolia  Warbler          Fig.  m.     Young  Cowbird  comfortably  filling  the  nest 
in  which  it  was  reared.  of  its  foster  parent,  whose  children  it  smothered  :   fearless, 

though  nearly  ready  to  fly. 


M 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

TAMING  WILD  BIRDS  WITHOUT  A  CAGE. 

ANY  illustrations  could  be  given  of  birds  which  in  most  parts  of  their  range  are 
wild  or  shy  while  in  others  they  are  very  tame,  and  the  same  principle  underlies 
them  all.  Wildness  is  due  to  fear  which  is  partly  inherited  and  partly  learned 
by  experience  with  this  wicked  world.  Tameness,  on  the  other  hand,  comes  with  the 
casting  out  of  fear,  and  may  be  brought  about  by  the  formation  of  new  habits  which  are 
either  spontaneous  or  forced. 

The  House  Sparrows  of  the  Tuileries,  and  the  pious  Stork  of  Holland,  Germany 
and  France,  are  familiar  examples  of  birds  whose  near  or  remote  ancestors  are  shy  and 
wary.  The  Stork  is  said  to  be  excessively  wild  in  the  woods  and  marshes,  yet  it  comes 
with  confidence  to  the  village  and  town,  builds  its  nests  upon  house  tops  and  steeples, 
and  struts  about  the  streets  and  door-yards  in  search  of  food. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  long  the  Doves  of  Venice  have  enjoyed  the 
freedom  of  the  Piazza  del  Marco.  They  are  probably  the  best  fed  pigeons  in  the  world, 
and  few  hours  pass  in  the  course  of  the  day  when  their  guardian,  the  vendor  of  sacks  of 
corn,  is  not  surrounded  by  his  flock.  They  will  alight  all  over  you,  and  take  the  grain 
from  hand  or  mouth.  The  Pigeon,  it  is  true,  has  been  long  domesticated  and  responds 
more  readily  to  friendly  influences  than  the  wild  stock  from  which  it  has  sprung. 

Strange  and  possibly  true  stories  are  told  of  persons  who  have  won  the  confidence 
of  beast  or  bird.  The  wild  bird  responds  to  their  call  and  the  quadruped  comes  forth 
from  his  den  and  takes  food  from  their  hand.  Such  persons  are  popularly  supposed  to 
possess  a  mysterious  power  of  fascination  or  a  superior  knowledge  of  woodcraft,  but  all 
this  belongs  in  the  catalogue  of  vulgar  errors.  It  depends  less  upon  the  individuality  of 
the  person  than  that  of  the  animal.  Individual  variation  knows  hardly  a  limit,  whether 
in  man  or  beast.  Some  birds  are  naturally  tame  and  confiding,  while  their  next  door 
neighbors  of  the  same  kin  and  living  in  the  same  field  may  possess  a  temperament  of 
such  an  opposite  character  as  to  baffle  every  attempt  to  dispel  their  fears. 

The  power  of  remaining  motionless  like  a  stone  or  stump  in  the  woods  is  often 
enough  to  win  the  temporary  confidence  of  both  mammal  and  bird,  and  many  will  doubt- 
less recall  illustrations  of  this  fact  from  their  own  experience.  This  suggests  an  early 
episode  which  impressed  itself  rather  strongly  at  the  time.  With  raised  fishing-pole  in 
hand  I  was  sitting  quietly  by  the  river,  possibly  watching  the  common  sunfish  or  bream 
standing  guard  over  their  nests,  which  they  defend  with  such  fiery  pugnacity,  when  I 
suddenly  had  a  "  bite."  Looking  up,  I  saw  a  Kingbird  comfortably  perched  on  the  end 
of  my  rod.  He  doubtless  had  a  nest  in  the  alders  close  by. 

125 


126 


Wild  Birds. 


It  is  easy  to  conceive  a  state  in  which  all  animals  would  be  tame,  but  it  would  not 
be  the  state  of  nature  known  to  us  which  has  developed  under  the  laws  of  battle,  the 
survival  of  the  strongest,  the  wariest,  the  best  protected  or  concealed,  or  the  most  intelli- 
gent. The  higher  animals  either  prey  on  one  another  or  on  the  helpless  invertebrates,  or 
are  preyed  upon,  and  with  most,  tameness  would  soon  lead  to  extinction.  Wildness  or 
wariness  is  not  only  the  law  of  their  nature,  but  the  very  condition  of  their  existence. 

The  animal  which  fails  to 
profit  by  experience,  or 
at  least  to  the  extent  of 
learning  caution,  and  thus 
displaying  the  rudiments 
fll  J^2  °^  intelligence,  must  go 
to  the  wall,  unless  the 
conditions  of  its  life  are 
exceptional  or  nature 
grants  it  some  extraordi- 
nary favor  such  as  protec- 
tive or  deceptivecoloring. 
While  most  animals 
are  wild  in  the  state  of 
nature  and  many  are  al- 
most untamable,  a  com- 
paratively large  number 
submit  to  the  taming  pro- 
cess, and  a  few  become 
tame  in  the  natural  state. 
The  principle  of  the  sur- 
vival of  the  strongest  or 
the  fittest  as  a  result  of 
the  struggle  for  existence 
is  so  general  and  so  primi- 
tive that  when  we  find 
animals  already  tame  in 
nature,  we  must  regard 
them  as  the  descendants 
of  wild  ancestors. 

As   a    rule   no  wild 

beast  or  bird  approaches  man  without  some  inducement.  Unless  some  other  instinct  be 
aroused,  it  comes,  if  at  all,  to  defend  or  feed  its  offspring,  to  appease  its  hunger,  or 
in  very  rare  cases  to  find  protection  from  danger.  The  taming  process  depends,  as 
we  have  just  seen,  upon  the  ability  to  form  new  associations  and  may  be  brought 
about  artificially  by  restraint  as  when  a  wild  animal  is  caged  and  new  habits  are,  as 
it  were,  forced  upon  it,  or  by  means  of  strong  lures.  Of  the  latter,  one  of  the  best 
is  food  in  the  presence  of  hunger,  but  the  strongest  of  all  are  the  young  at  a  cer- 
tain stage  of  growth.  In  order  to  tame  a  wild  animal  without  recourse  to  restraint 


Fig.  123.    Male  standing  at  nest  after  having  fed  his  young.    Notice  the  character- 
istic instinctive  pose  of  one  of  the  fledglings. 


Taming  Wild  Birds  without  a  Cage. 


127 


there  must  be  some  means  of  breaking  the  ice,  or  beginning  a  course  of  instruction, 
by  chaining  it  to  a  fixed  point.  In  case  of  birds  with  young  the  invisible  chain  is 
parental  instinct,  which  inhibits  fear  and  holds  the  animal  to  a  given  spot.  We  will  at- 
tempt to  analyze  the  taming  process  by  the  use  of  food  and  young  birds  as  lures,  and 
finally  consider  the  similar  experiments  which  nature  occasionally  conducts  independ- 
ently and  on  a  larger  scale. 

I  throw  some  cracked  corn  out  of  my  window,  and  it  is  soon  discovered  by  the 
ubiquitous  Sparrows.  When 

1* 

they  see  me  standing  behind 

the    pane  they   are    afraid    to  f^      ^ 

approach,  but  they  are  also 
hungry.  At  last  the  impulse 
to  get  the  food  overcomes 
their  fears,  and  they  are  re- 
warded by  the  feeling  of  pleas- 
ure and  satisfaction.  When 
they  come  repeatedly,  each 
time  reaping  a  reward  without 
evil  consequences,  a  new  habit 
is  gradually  formed  by  the 
repetition  of  the  act.  The 
pleasure  of  getting  food  is 
gradually  associated  with  fly- 
ing to  a  certain  spot  in  the 
presence  of  objects  which  in 
the  course  of  time  become 
familiar.  •  If  the  contrary  im- 
pulse, due  in  this  case  to  hun- 
ger, is  sufficiently  strong,  the 
process  may  be  carried  forward 
step  by  step  until  the  birds 
come  to  the  hand  for  food. 
With  the  gregarious  Sparrow, 
however,  life  in  a  populous 

Fig.  124.     Female  Robin  in  act  of  nest-cleaning.     She  approaches  at  the 
town     is     Usually     tOO     COmpli-       back.    See  Chapter  XII. 

cated  to  admit  of  carrying  out 

the  experiment  with  success  in  any  reasonable  time. 

There  are  many  species  which  respond  more  rapidly  than  the  wily  Sparrow.  Of 
these,  I  will  mention  the  Chickadee,  Nuthatch,  Canada  Jay,  and  Goose.  The  Chickadee 
has  to  work  harder  for  a  living  in  winter  than. the  Sparrow,  is  far  less  gregarious  and 
wary  by  nature,  and  is  seemingly  endowed  with  a  keen  sense  of  curiosity.  Mr.  Chapman 
thus  speaks  of  the  behavior  of  some  of  these  birds  in  Central  Park,  New  York  City, 
in  February:  "they  would  often  flutter  before  one's  face  and  plainly  give  expression  to 
their  desire  for  food,  which  they  took  from  one's  hand  without  the  slightest  evidence 
of  fear.  Sometimes  they  even  remained  to  pick  the  nut  from  a  shell  while  perched  on 


128 


Wild  Birds. 


one's  finger." '  They  become  equally  tame  when  hard  pressed  by  hunger  in  the  remote 
woods,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  following  account  which  was  given  to  me  by  a 
man  who  worked  at  a  woodchopper's  camp  in  New  Hampshire  during  the  winter 
is  strictly  true.  He  said  that  at  meal  times  the  Chickadees  would  come  about  and  pick 
up  any  crumbs  that  were  left  over  or  were  thrown  to  them,  and  that  they  soon  became 
so  bold  as  to  alight  on  the  hand,  or  hat,  and  even  to  take  pieces  of  bread  from  the 
mouth ;  that  he  would  often  amuse  himself  by  trying  to  "  close  over  them  "  with  his 
hand,  and  that  while  they  were  usually  too  quick  for  him,  he  had  caught  them  in  this 
manner. 

Early  in  the  winter  of  1899,  a  Red-breasted  Nuthatch  formed  the  habit  of  going  to 
a  certain  yard  in  Jefferson,  Ohio,  for  food."  At  first  it  stayed  among  the  trees  like  the 
Brown  Creepers,  but  at  length  came  to  the  window-sill  for  scraps  of  suet  which  were 

placed  there.  This  window 
happened  to  be  opposite  a 
pump  and  sink,  but  the  Nut- 
hatch soon  showed  no  fear 
even  when  one  stood  close  by 
and  worked  the  pump.  Blue 
Jays,  Downyand  Hairy  Wood- 
peckers, Chickadees,  and  Eng- 
lish Sparrows  also  came  to  the 
garden  for  food.  After  several 
weeks  of  this  kind  of  treat- 
ment Mr.  Sim  went  outside, 
placed  some  suet  on  his  palm 
and  rested  his  hand  on  the 
window-sill.  The  Nuthatch 
came  to  the  lure,  picked  up  a 
piece  of  the  food,  and  appar- 
ently tried  to  hide  it  between 
his  thumb  and  finger.  After 
the  Red-breasted  Nuthatch  de- 
parted a  Whitebreast  came  down,  helped  himself  to  the  suet  and  was  off.  After  this  the 
Nuthatches  often  came  and  alighted  on  somebody's  hand,  head,  or  shoulder,  but  the  Red- 
breast was  much  the  tamest.  When  she  was  up  in  the  big  elm  tree,  she  would  swoop  down 
at  call,  not  touching  a  twig  between  her  lofty  perch  and  the  hand.  Hickory  nuts  were 
offered  and  preferred  to  the  suet,  but  the  seeds  of  the  Norway  spruce  were  still  more  to 
her  taste.  She  would  fly  to  a  branch  with  a  seed,  rub  off  its  wing,  and  after  placing  it 
in  a  suitable  notch  or  crack,  eat  it  leisurely.  The  Red-breasted  Nuthatch  would  drink 
from  a  dish  held  in  the  hand,  would  take  the  proffered  food  while  perched  near  the 
ground,  and  once  even  settled  down  in  the  hand  as  if  going  to  sleep. 

These  birds  were  seen  to  eat  snow,  and  Chickadees  would  frequently  cling  to  an 
icicle  on  the  roof  and  catch  the  drops  of  water  as  they  fell  from  a  shorter  icicle  near  by. 

1  Bird  Studies  with  a  Camera,  p.  49. 

4  For  this  account  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Robert  J.  Sim  of  Jefferson,  Ohio. 


Fig.  125      Female  Red-eyed  Vireo  feeding  young.     In  these  birds  the  be- 
havior was  perfectly  free  after  the  first  day  of  study. 


Taming  Wild  Birds  without  a  Cage. 


129 


Three  or  four  Downy  and  Hairy  Woodpeckers  came  to  the  window-sill,  and  would  some- 
times peck  the  fingers  of  persons  feeding  them.  The  Brown  Creeper  was  far  more  cau- 
tious, and  never  came  to  the  hand. 

The  familiarity  of  the  Canada  Jay  or  Meat  Bird  is  known  to  everybody  who  has 
hunted  or  camped  in  the  northern  woods;  its  fear  is  allayed  by  hunger  even  more  promptly 
than  in  Chickadees  and  Nuthatches.  Audubon  says  of  these  birds  that  "  when  their 
appetite  is  satisfied,  they  become  shy,  and  are  in  the  habit  of  hiding  themselves  among 
close  woods  or  thickets ;  but  when  hungry  they  show  no  alarm  at  the  approach  of  man." 
While  his  friend  was  fishing  in  a  canoe  on  one  of  the  Maine  lakes  in  the  summer  of  1833, 
"the  Jays  were  so  fearless  as  to 
alight  in  one  end  of  his  bark, 
while  he  sat  in  the  other,  and 
help  themselves  to  his  bait.  .  .  . 
The  lumberers  or  woodcutters 
of  this  state,  .  .  .  frequently 
amuse  themselves  in  their  camp 
during  the  eating  hour  with  what 
they  call  '  transporting  the  car- 
rion bird.'  This  is  done  by  cut- 
ting a  pole  eight  or  ten  feet  in 
length,  and  balancing  it  on  the 
sill  of  their  hut,  the  end  outside 
of  the  entrance  being  baited  with 
a  piece  of  flesh  of  any  kind.  Im- 
mediately on  seeing  the  tempting 
morsel,  the  Jays  alight  on  it,  and 
while  they  are  busily  engaged 
in  devouring  it,  the  woodcutter 
gives  a  smart  blow  to  the  end  of 
the  pole  within  the  hut,  which 
seldom  fails  to  drive  the  birds 
high  in  the  air,  and  not  infre- 
quently kills  them.  They  even 
enter  the  camps  and  would  fain  eat  from  the  hands  of  the  men  while  at  their  meals." 

Possibly  no  bird  has  keener  vision  or  sharper  ears  than  the  Canada  Goose,  which  in 
its  wild  state  is  said  to  be  vigilant,  suspicious,  and  hard  to  be  surprised,  yet  it  is  often  easily 
and  quickly  tamed.  There  are  in  Cleveland  nearly  forty  of  these  geese,  which  are  descended 
from  a  smaller  number  introduced  about  twenty-five  years  ago.  Their  migratory  impulse 
has  been  completely  lost,  and  their  sense  of  fear  subdued,  but  their  other  wild  instincts 
remain.  They  live  mostly  in  the  parks,  going  from  one  to  another  as  the  spirit  moves 
them,  and  breed  on  the  small  artificial  islands  in  artificial  ponds.  I  sometimes  hear 
their  honk  !  as  they  fly  over  the  city  at  night  or  in  early  morning,  and  see  their"  harrow" 
or  "triangle"  which  plows  the  air  by  day  often  within  bow-shot  from  Euclid  Avenue. 

When  the  birds  are  feeding  on  a  lawn  you  can  walk  among  them  and  drive  them 
like  a  flock  of  tame  geese,  but  they  hate  dogs  and  take  to  wing  or  water  the  moment  one 


Fig.  126.  Male  Red-eyed  Vireo  prepared  to  inspect  and  clean  nest. 
Notice  that  in  this  series— Figs.  50-57,  125— the  birds  uniformly  occupy 
the  same  perch.  Detail  of  bird  shown  in  Fig.  49. 


130  Wild  Birds. 

is  seen  to  approach.  They  once  had  the  habit  of  alighting  on  the  roof  of  a  tall  building 
near  Wade  Park,  but  after  one  of  their  number  met  with  the  mishap  of  falling  down  a 
ventilating  shaft  this  practice  seems  to  have  been  abandoned. 

Audubon  speaks  of  a  pair  of  geese  which  bred  for  three  years  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Green  River  in  Kentucky, '  and  of  his  experience  in  feeding  them  at  the  nest.  The  male 
was  at  first  very  pugnacious,  and  once  dealt  him  such  a  blow  on  the  arm  that  he  thought  it 
was  broken.  In  the  course  of  a  week  both  birds  would  take  the  proffered  corn,  but  never 
allowed  him  to  touch  them.  "  Whenever  I  attempted  this,"  says  Audubon,  "  the  male  met 
my  fingers  with  his  bill,  and  bit  me  so  severely  that  I  gave  it  up."  Later  he  trapped  the 
entire  family  of  eleven,  pinioned  them  and  turned  them  loose  in  his  garden.  He  kept 
the  whole  flock  three  years.  The  old  birds  did  not  breed  again,  but  two  pairs  of  the 
young  reared  new  broods. 

On  One  of  his  shooting  excursions  Audubon  shot  a  wild  goose,  and  on  his  return 
sent  it  to  the  kitchen  to  be  prepared  for  the  table.  The  cook  brought  him  an  egg  ready 
to  be  laid.  This  was  placed  under  a  hen,  and  in  due  time  produced  a  bird,  which  became 
very  gentle  and  would  feed  from  the  hand.  When  two  years  old  it  mated  with  a  male 
and  reared  a  family. 

We  have  seen  how  fear  may  vanish  before  the  surge  of  the  parental  impulse  which 
impels  a  bird  to  seek,  nourish,  and  defend  its  offspring,  even  at  the  risk  of  life  itself,  and  will 
now  consider  how  this  instinct  may  be  used  in  taming  wild  birds  at  the  nest  and  in 
bringing  them  to  the  hand. 

If  young  birds  of  those  species  in  which  the  parental  instincts  are  very  strong,  are 
taken  from  the  nest  when  nearly  ready  to  fly,  the  old  birds,  especially  if  they  be  among 
the  class  of  tamer  individuals,  may  be  brought  direct  to  the  hand  in  a  short  space  of 
time.  To  their  excited  vision  men  are  as  walking  trees.  Their  attention  is  riveted  on 
the  young,  and  the  man  is  nothing  to  them,  providing  he  remains  quiet,  or  moves 
about  with  caution.  Whatever  fear  remains  is  blocked  by  the  stronger  instinct  to  go 
to  their  young. 

Every  occasion  on  which  the  tent  described  in  these  pages  is  brought  up  to  a  nest 
of  young  birds  is  a  direct  experiment  in  the  taming  process.  No  matter  how  far  the 
discipline  is  carried  or  how  little  permanency  it  may  possess,  the  principle  is  always  the 
same.  By  this  method  wild  birds,  while  the  parental  instincts  are  at  their  height,  can  be 
tamed  to  a  degree  without  use  of  a  cage.  In  illustration  of  the  process,  we  will  select  the 
Robin  and  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  although  the  experiments  to  be  described  were  not 
carried  out  with  this  end  especially  in  view.  In  any  case  parental  instinct  is  the  chief 
agent  employed. 

The  Robins  now  referred  to  have  served  so  often  in  these  pages  as  a  text  for  the 
illustration  of  habit  and  instinct  that  I  need  only  say  that  they  nested  high  in  an  oak  tree 
in  some  woods,  and  that  the  entire  branch  with  the  nest  was  carried  to  a  perfectly  bare 
field  on  July  25th,  when  the  young  were  a  week  old.  At  this  new  site  the  young  passed 
another  week,  taking  their  first  flight  at  noon  on  the  last  day  of  the  month.  I  was  en- 
camped beside  them  for  parts  of  six  days,  and  spent  altogether  twenty-four  hours  at  their 
nest.  Although  the  familiar  Robin  is  usually  an  easy  mark  for  the  bird-photographer,  this 
particular  pair  were  extremely  wary.  They  showed  a  bold  front  when  openly  assailed, 

1  Ornithological  Biography,  vol.  iii.,  pp.  8,  9. 


Taming  Wild  Birds  without  a  Cage.  131 

but  succumbed  to  fear  completely,  the  moment  the  tent  was  closed,  and  refused  to 
approach  the  nest.  On  the  second  day  the  female  was  on  the  nesting  bough  in  ten 
minutes,  but  hesitated  and  made  seven  consecutive  visits  before  actually  feeding  the 
young.  After  several  hours  their  fear  had  become  so  well  subdued  that  the  wary  male 
brought  and  delivered  food  while  I  was  engaged  in  taking  down  the  tent  and  stood  close 
by.  On  the  third  day  the  young  were  fed  while  the  tent  was  going  up,  but  a  full  half 
hour  had  elapsed  before  their  behavior  was  perfectly  free  and  spontaneous.  On  the 
fourth  day  the  birds  came  as  before,  and  life  at  the  nest  was  resumed  with  perfect  con- 
fidence after  the  space  of  twenty  minutes.  The  female  would  now  sit  placidly  on  the 
nest  in  face  of  the  tent  and  the  window  in  its  front,  across  which  the  hand  was  frequently 
drawn  to  adjust  the  shutter  that  was  clicking  at  random  intervals  but  twenty-eight  inches 
from  her  ears. 

At  the  close  of  the  day's  observations,  I  took  the  camera  outside  the  tent,  and  photo- 
graphed the  male  as  he  came  to  the  nest.  The  moment  I  entered  the  tent  to  take  it 
down  he  was  back  again  with  a  mouth  full  of  cherries.  When  after  striking  the  tent  and 
rolling  it  up  I  stood  quietly  by  the  nest  for  a  few  moments,  the  cock  came  for  the  third 
time  and  delivered  a  large  grasshopper  to  his  never-to-be-satisfied  brood. 

On  the  first  day  four  hours  failed  to  bring  these  birds  to  their  needy  children,  while 
in  the  ninth  and  last  the  male,  the  more  suspicious  of  the  two,  was  on  hand  with  food 
in  seven  minutes.  With  the  new  objects  in  constant  view,  new  associations  had  been 
formed.  The  strong  parental  instinct  supported  by  habit  had  banished  most  of  their 
former  fear.  The  first  steps  in  the  taming  process  had  been  taken,  and  were  carried  fur- 
ther in  the  case  now  to  be  described. 

Two  nests  of  the  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  each  containing  fresh  eggs,  were  found  in 
a  pasture  on  the  twelfth  day  of  June.  The  behavior  of  the  birds  at  both  nests  was  at 
first  essentially  the  same,  so  far  as  it  was  tested.  While  the  eggs  were  still  fresh,  the 
nests  were  often  visited  without  seeing  or  hearing  a  bird,  but  during  incubation  the  female, 
who  is  a  close  sitter,  would  allow  me  to  approach  within  a  yard  or  two  feet.  Then  as  I 
extended  my  hand  slowly  toward  her  she  would  hop  out  and  cling  with  head  down  on  the 
farther  side  of  the  nest,  so  that  only  her  little  tail  was  visible  over  its  rim.  Any  one 
prone  to  discover  protective  mimicry  in  such  cases  would  find  a  striking  example  of  it  in 
this  attitude, — the  little  gray  tail  of  the  bird  simulating  so  well  one  of  the  twigs  which 
helped  to  support  the  gray  wall  of  the  nest.  It  was  rather  the  case  of  an  alert  animal 
lying  still  or  in  hiding  until  a  present  danger  might  be  past.  If  you  kept  your  position 
long  enough  the  bird  would  drop  to  the  ground,  where  joined  by  her  mate,  both  would 
hop  about  in  the  grass  chipping  nervously,  but  keeping  well  out  of  sight.  On  approach- 
ing one  of  the  nests  still  later  when  there  were  young,  the  female  was  usually  overtaken 
in  the  act  of  brooding.  At  such  times  it  was  easy  to  walk  slowly  up  and  place  your 
hand  close  to  the  brooding  bird.  But  before  allowing  you  actually  to  touch  her,  she 
would  flit  to  the  grass,  and  with  spread  wings  and  tail  practice  that  "  art  of  feigning  "  as 
it  is  usually  called,  although  it  is  not  an  art  or  anything  learned  or  practiced  for  the  occa- 
sion, but  an  inherited  instinct,  the  end  and  advantage  of  which  is  to  distract  your  atten- 
tion from  the  nest  to  the  moving  bird.  One  day  I  stood  by  and  watched  the  little  mother 
to  see  how  long  her  antics  would  last.  She  would  come  within  a  yard  of  my  feet  when 
I  remained  perfectly  quiet,  and  trail  her  wings  along  the  ground,  making  repeated  sallies 


132 


Wild  Birds. 


back  and  forth,  flying  only  when  close  pressed,  and  then  always  away  from  her  nest.  On 
one  occasion  this  was  kept  up  from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes,  and  did  not  cease  until  I 
withdrew. 

My  experiments  at  the  first  nest  were  begun  on  June  I2th,  by  clearing  away  the 
bushes  in  front.  The  tent  was  set  up  two  feet  away  on  the  morning  of  the  I5th, 
while  the  little  hen  was  still  sitting  over  the  eggs.  She  would  dart  out  of  the  nest, 
return  and  take  a  peep'  inside,  sit  for  a  few  minutes  and  be  off.  When  all  was  quiet  she 
could  be  seen  jumping  in  and  out  repeatedly,  as  if  equally  uncomfortable  whether 
away  from  her  treasures  or  hugging  them  close.  In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  it  was 

easy  to  photograph  the 
sitting  bird,  who  now 
paid  little  heed  to  the 
shutter,  and  remained  un- 
disturbed on  the  nest 
during  my  preparations 
for  leaving. 

On  the  following  day 
the  old  bird  was  still  per- 
sistently sitting,  and  even 
allowed  me  to  erect  the 
tent  close  beside  her 
without  budging.  When 
finally  driven  off  by  the 
hand,  she  uttered  a  few 
tseeps  and  returned  in  a 
moment.  Once  the  male 
came,  and  as  I  supposed, 
placed  an  insect  in  the 
nest,  when  his  mate,  who 
stood  close  by,  hopped 

Fig.  137.     Offering  grasshopper  to  a  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  who  has  been  tamed         to  the  brim,  put  down  her 
without  use  of  a  cage.     It  was  possible  to  approach  this  bird  and  stroke  her  back         i         j  j  T    4-Vi        /-,Vi<- 

with  the  hand,  without  giving  alarm.  Head,    ana    as    1    mOUgni 

ate  the  food,  but  no,  she 

was  feeding  the  little  ones,  for  she  was  now  a  mother.  Four  young  birds,  scarcely 
bigger  than  bumblebees,  had  just  emerged  from  their  shells.  They  must  have  been 
hatched  since  noon  of  the  previous  day. 

On  the  third  day  these  Warblers  paid  no  attention  to  either  the  tent  or  the  operator, 
and  before  going  away  I  was  able  to  touch  the  bird  on  the  nest,  though  not  without 
sending  her  off.  The  fourth  day  found  their  confidence  undiminished,  for  the  sitting 
bird  eagerly  seized  a  grasshopper  which  I  offered  from  the  hand  stretched  through  the 
tent  window.  Four  days  later  still  I  spent  nearly  seven  hours  with  these  Warblers,  and 
in  the  afternoon  began  to  test  more  systematically  the  strength  of  the  intimacy  which  we 
had  cultivated.  Taking  a  long  twig  in  the  hand  and  reaching  through  the  window  in  the 
front  of  the  tent,  I  touched  the  old  bird.  She  resented  this  but  little  and  when  her  back 
was  scratched  seemed  to  like  the  sensation.  Then  I  left  the  tent  to  look  for  insects,  and 


\  •' 


OFTHE 


UNIVER 


Taming  Wild  Birds  without  a  Cage.  133 

after  a  long  search  returned  with  a  few  small  grasshoppers.  When  one  of  these  was 
offered  the  bird  would  eye  the  squirming  insect  and  try  to  seize  it  when  held  within 
reach.  Wishing  to  economize,  I  held  on  to  the  insect  and  nearly  pulled  the  bird  off  the 
nest. 

After  discarding  the  tent  I  was  able  to  walk  up  to  this  bird  and  stroke  her  back  with 
my  hand  without  disturbing  her  in  the  least.  Setting  up  the  camera  outside  and  attach- 
ing a  tube  with  pneumatic  bulb  at  the  end,  I  made  a  number  of  photographs  which  show 
the  Warbler  sharply  eying  an  insect  and  prepared  to  seize  it  when  held  a  few  inches 
away.  It  would  have  been  an  easy  matter  to  take  her  in  the  hand,  though  possibly 
not  without  injury  to  the  young.  Their 
early  flight  from  the  nest  cut  short  any 
further  experiments,  but  what  could 
not  have  been  done  with  a  bird  who 
had  become  so  tame  and  confiding  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days  ? 

The  foregoing  account  does  not 
necessarily  imply  that  a  wild  bird  can 
be  induced  to  remain  docile  in  the 
presence  of  man  for  any  great  length 
of  time  while  still  enjoying  the  free- 
dom of  its  wild  life.  If  the  lesson 
learned  is  to  be  a  permanent  acquisi- 
tion, it  must  be  often  repeated,  and  no 
other  teachers  allowed  to  interfere.  To 
effect  this  the  animal  must  as  a  rule 
be  placed  under  restraint  or  in  a  cage, 
where  its  experiences  are  more  uniform, 
more  limited  and  under  perfect  control. 

In  free  life  a  new  habit  must  strug- 
gle with  other  competitors  and  is  liable 
to  be  suppressed  quickly.  However,  I 
think  it  has  been  clearly  shown  that  in 

the    beginnings     Of    the    taming    prOCeSS  FiS  128-    Chestnut-sided  Warbler  family.    The  male,  perched 

above,  has  just  delivered  an  insect  to  his  mate,  who  quickly 
which    have    been    illustrated,   where    no         passed  it  to  the  young  and  continued  to  brood.     The  same  nest 

physical  restraint  is  used,  the  sense  of      is  shown  in  Figs- 3-  "•  "7' I29'  and  I3°- 
fear  must  be  combated  by  a  stronger  and  contrary   impulse,  such   as   hunger  or  the 
parental  instincts,  which  will  lead  the  bird  to  undergo  new  experiences,  and  finally  to 
adopt  new  habits. 

Audubon  has  given  an  interesting  account  of  some  Phcebes  or  Pewees  which  nested 
in  a  cave  on  his  plantation  in  Pennsylvania,  and  became  the  subject  of  some  of  his  earliest 
studies  and  experiments  in  ornithology.  It  admirably  illustrates  the  taming  process 
under  the  spur  of  natural  instinct.  * 

"  On  my  first  going  into  the  cave,"  he  says,  "  the  male  flew  violently  towards  the  en- 
trance, snapped  his  bill  sharply  and  repeatedly,  accompanying  this  action  with  a  tremulous 

1  Ornithological  Biography,  vol.  ii.,  p.  122. 


Wild  Birds. 


rolling  note,  the  import  of  which  I  soon  guessed.  .  .  .  Several  days  in  succession  I 
went  to  the  spot,  and  saw  with  pleasure  that  as  my  visits  increased  in  frequency,  the 
birds  became  more  familiarized  to  me,  and,  before  a  week  had  elapsed,  the  Pewees  and 
myself  were  quite  on  terms  of  intimacy.  It  was  now  the  tenth  of  April.  .  .  .  The 
Pewees,  I  observed,  began  working  at  their  old  nest.  My  presence  no  longer  alarmed 
either  of  them."  He  was  soon  able  to  put  his  hand  close  to  the  sitting  bird  without  dis- 
turbing it. 

While  possessed  by  the  incubation  spirit  many  birds,  as  is  well  known,  are  indifferent 

to  danger  and  will  hug  their  eggs  at  any  cost. 
In  this  respect  few  can  excel  the  "  tame 
villagic  fowl,"  who  displays  greater  stupidity 
than  most  wild  birds,  who  rarely  sit  on  an 
empty  nest,1  and  have  been  known  to  reject 
strange  eggs.  In  this  state  birds  cannot  be 
considered  tame  although  the  sense  of  fear 
may  be  temporarily  dulled,  and  one  of  the 
conditions  of  the  taming  process  fulfilled. 
The  hen  will  peck  vigorously  at  the  in- 
truder, and  if  hustled  off  the  nest  will  soon 
return.  Some  birds  like  Song  Sparrows 
and  Brown  Thrushes  will  remain  immov- 
able as  if  hiding  until  you  come  dangerously 
near,  when  they  glide  off  silently,  but  usually 
remain  quiet  for  a  moment  only.  The 
Robin  flies  off  in  a  passion.  The  Tropic 
Bird  fights  but  sticks  to  her  egg.  The 
Woodpeckers  are  close  sitters  and  may 
sometimes  be  taken  in  the  hand.  A  Chick- 
adee which  I  worried  with  a  straw  would 
peck  angrily  at  it,  but  remained  on  the  nest. 
The  Cedar-birds  retire  in  silence.  In  this 
state  birds  become  passive  merely  through 
the  temporary  suppression  of  the  sense  of 
fear. 

Fish  Hawks  used  to  nest  on  Plum  Island,  New  York,  where  according  to  Mr.  C.  S. 
Allen,2  they  had  been  zealously  protected  by  the  owner  of  the  island  for  upwards  of 
thirty  years  previous  to  1885.  The  first  nest  shown  to  him  by  Mr.  Jerome,  the  faithful 
guardian  of  the  birds,  was  "  fairly  in  his  door-yard,  close  by  his  front  gate,  and  only 
about  fifty  yards  from  his  home.  It  was  placed  upon  an  old  pile  of  fence  rails,  rotted  to 
black  mould  in  the  center,  but  kept  up  by  the  yearly  addition  of  fresh  rails.  Mr.  Jerome 
said  that  to  his  knowledge  this  nest  had  been  occupied  every  year  for  forty  years."  It 
had  been  added  to  yearly  until  its  huge  bulk  of  sticks  and  miscellaneous  materials  would 

1  For  an  account  of  a  pair  of  Bald  Eagles  nesting  on  the  ground  in  the  New  York  Zoological  Park  and  incubat- 
ing a  good-sized  stone  which  was  placed  in  the  improvised  nest,  see  Bird  Lore,  vol.  iii..  p.  34.      1901. 
8  The  Auk,  vol.  ix.,  p.  313,  1892 


Fig.  iag.  Female  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  approaching 
nest  and  looking  in.  At  this  time  there  were  eggs,  or  the 
young  had  barely  pipped  the  shell. 


Taming  Wild  Birds  without  a  Cage. 


make  three  cart  loads.  It  was  but  seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  so  that  by 
stepping  on  a  projecting  rail  the  beautifully  spotted  eggs  within  could  be  seen.  "  Mr. 
Jerome  could  pass  close  to  the  pile  of  rails  without  the  birds  leaving  the  nest,  while 
I  could  not  get  nearer  than  thirty  or  forty  feet."  At  other  places  on  the  island,  the 
birds  would  alight  on  one  nest  while  he  was  examining  another  near  by.  This  illustrates 
how  a  shy  bird  may  become  relatively  tame  during  the  breeding  season,  and  shows  clearly 
how  some  learn  to  discriminate. 

That  many  birds  become  tame  in  a  state  of  nature  is  well  known  and  the  subject  is 
full  of  interest.  The  Pine  Grosbeak  is  as  good  an  illustration  of  the  fact  as  may  be 
found  in  this  part  of  the  world.  Pine 
Grosbeaks  make  their  summer  home  in  the 
vast  forests  of  evergreens  which  cover  the 
continent  from  Labrador  to  Alaska.  A 
few,  it  is  said,  have  been  found  breeding  in 
latitude  47°  in  New  Brunswick,  and  they 
have  even  been  recorded  in  summer  on  Mt. 
LaFayette,  New  Hampshire.  They  are 
irregular  winter  visitors  to  the  Northern 
States,  sometimes  going  so  far  south  as 
Maryland  and  Kansas.  In  the  winter  of 
1884,  they  were  very  common  at  Holder- 
ness,  New  Hampshire,  beginning  to  appear 
in  small  flocks  about  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary and  finally  disappearing  after  the 
eighteenth  of  March.  At  first  they  were 
tame  and  could  be  approached  without 
difficulty,  while  later  they  became  shy  and 
timid.  They  frequented  the  white  pines, 
on  the  buds  of  which  they  fed,  but  occa- 
sionally came  into  the  open,  and  sang  loud 
and  merrily. 

I     remember    meeting    a    flock   of   these  Fig.  130.     Female  Chestnut-sided  Warbler  inspecting  her 

plump,  stalwart  looking  birds  in  a  grove  of  young  after  having  served  food' 
sapling  pines  on  the  last  day  of  February.  The  woods  on  every  side  were  hoary  with  snow 
which  had  been  falling  for  hours.  When  a  young  pine  drooping  under  its  weight  of 
snow  suddenly  blossomed  with  a  bright  company  of  these  birds,  you  might  travel  far 
to  find  a  more  attractive  winter  picture.  A  bird  would  sometimes  drop  on  a  branch, 
and  settle  down  as  if  going  to  sleep.  Then  suddenly  aroused  by  the  desire  for 
food  he  would  sidle  to  the  end  of  the  bough,  pick  out  the  terminal  or  largest  bud, 
twirl  it  between  his  stout  cone-shaped  mandibles  to  get  rid  of  the  scales  and  then 
swallow  the  resinous  morsel.  After  seeing  this  experiment  performed  a  good  many 
times,  I  selected  a  handsome  male,  walked  up  to  him,  and  caught  him  with  my  hat,  as  if 
he  were  a  butterfly.  When  I  stooped  to  pick  him  off  the  snow,  he  squeaked  and  struck 
violently  with  his  beak,  uttering  a  peculiar  car-r-r-r-r  !  When  placed  on  the  snow  again 
he  flapped  about  for  a  few  moments  resisting  every  attempt  to  take  him,  and  finally  rose 


136  Wild  Birds, 

and  disappeared  among  the  snow-laden  trees.  There  were  about  fifty  birds  in  this  flock 
and  the  grove  resounded  with  their  clear  whistled  notes.  They  were  easily  approached 
at  all  times  and  in  all  weathers,  dftring  the  early  weeks  of  their  visit,  agreeing  in  this  re- 
spect with  the  Bohemian  Waxwing,  the  Arctic  representative  of  the  Cedar-bird.  Two 
small  flocks  of  these  birds  visited  Burlington,  Vermont,  November  24  and  January  21, 
1882.  A  low  plaintive  call-note  first  attracted  my  attention,  when  a  party  of  eight  of 
these  fine  birds  came  into  view.  They  were  leisurely  preening  their  feathers  on  the 
lower  branches  of  a  red  cedar  tree.  When  close  upon  them,  they  paid  no  attention,  and 
finally  wishing  to  see  them  fly,  I  had  almost  to  shake  them  from  the  branches.  They 
went  off  in  a  compact  body  like  their  smaller  relative,  giving  a  "zee,  zee,zee-ze!" 
call-note. 

Audubon  speaks  of  the  familiarity  of  Crossbills  which  he  observed  while  on  a 
moose  hunt  in  the  summer  of  1833.  They  alighted  on  his  head,  showing  no  fear,  and 
five  or  six  were  caught  at  one  time  under  a  snowshoe.1 

This  tameness  found  among  many  Arctic  species  has  been  met  with  on  a  much  wider 
scale  in  remote  oceanic  islands,  where  man  is  almost  unknown  and  where  the  conditions 
of  life  are  very  different  from  those  of  the  mainland.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Galapagos 
Islands,  which  lie  under  the  equator  between  five  and  six  hundred  miles  from  the  west 
coast  of  South  America,  offer  a  most  striking  example  of  this  anomaly.  Their  natural 
history  which  has  been  told  in  one  of  Darwin's  interesting  chapters,  first  led  him  to  reflect 
on  the  origin  of  species.2  He  says  that  many  of  the  animals  and  plants  are  aboriginal,  and 
found  nowhere  else,  that  "  there  is  even  a  difference  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  differ- 
ent islands ;  yet  all  show  a  marked  relationship  with  those  of  America.  .  .  .  The 
archipelago  is  a  little  world  within  itself,  or  rather  a  satellite  attached  to  America,  whence 
it  has  derived  a  few  stray  colonists,  and  has  received  the  general  character  of  its  indi- 
genous productions."  He  found  twenty-six  species  of  land  birds,  all  peculiar  to  the 
islands  excepting  only  one,  the  Bobolink,  whose  summer  range  extends  as  far  north  as 
Labrador. 

All  the  common  terrestrial  birds  of  these  volcanic  islands  were  very  tame,  and  all 
says  Darwin,  "  often  approached  sufficiently  near  to  be  killed  with  a  switch,  and  some- 
times, as  I  myself  tried,  with  a  cap  or  hat.  A  gun  is  here  almost  superfluous; 
for  with  the  muzzle  I  pushed  a  hawk  off  the  branch  of  a  tree.  One  day  whilst  lying 
down,  a  mocking-thrush  alighted  on  the  edge  of  a  pitcher,  made  of  the  shell  of  a  tortoise, 
which  I  held  in  my  hand,  and  began  very  quickly  to  sip  the  water ;  it  allowed  me  to  lift 
it  from  the  ground  whilst  seated  on  the  vessel :  I  often  tried,  and  very  nearly  suc- 
ceeded in  catching  these  birds  by  their  legs. 

"  These  birds,  although  now  still  more  persecuted,  do  not  readily  become  wild  :  in 
Charles  Island,  which  had  then  been  colonized  about  six  years,  I  saw  a  boy  sitting  by  a 
well  with  a  switch  in  his  hand,  with  which  he  killed  the  doves  and  finches  as  they  came  to 
drink.  He  had  already  procured  a  little  heap  of  them  for  his  dinner;  and  he  said  that 
he  had  constantly  been  in  the  habit  of  waiting  by  this  well  for  the  same  purpose." 

Darwin  remarks  that  the  most  anomalous  fact  on  this  subject  which  he  had  met  was 
the  wildness  of  certain  small  birds  in  the  Arctic  portions  of  North  America,  while  some 
of  the  same  species  were  said  to  be  tame  in  their  winter  quarters  in  the  United  States. 

'  Ornithological  Biography,  vol.  ii.,  p.  436.  *  Journal  of  Researches,  Chapter  XVII. 


Taming  Wild  Birds  without  a  Cage.  137 

"  How  strange  it  is,"  says  he,  "that  the  English  wood-pigeon,  generally  so  wild  a  bird, 
should  very  frequently  rear  its  young  in  shrubberies  close  to  houses  !  " 

Respecting  the  wildness  which  birds  exhibit  towards  man,  Darwin  could  find  no  way 
of  accounting  for  it  except  as  inherited  habit,  but  in  another  work,  he  thus  refers  to  the 
same  subject ' :  "If  we  look  to  successive  generations,  or  to  the  race,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  birds  and  other  animals  gradually  both  acquire  and  lose  caution  in  relation  to  man 
and  other  enemies  ;  and  this  caution  is  certainly  in  chief  part  an  inherited  habit  or  instinct, 
but  in  part  the  result  of  individual  experience." 

The  observations  which  have  been  made  on  the  behavior  of  old  and  young  birds  do 
not  support  any  theory  of  the  inheritance  of  habits  to  account  for  tameness  in  animals, 
but  as  already  shown  afford  a  better  clue  of  how  this  has  been  brought  about.  Let  us 
go  back  to  the  Pine  Grosbeak  which,  when  fresh  from  his  sub-Arctic  home,  can  be 
approached  and  caught  with  your  hat  as  could  many  of  the  birds  in  the  Galapagos  Islands 
when  Darwin  visited  them  in  1835.  So  far  as  I  know,  no  one  has  studied  the  young  of 
this  species  in  the  nest  and  ascertained  whether  they  show  the  same  instincts  of  fear  in 
general  toward  strange  sights  and  sounds,  as  we  find  in  passerine  birds  nesting  farther 
south.  Assuming  that  they  do,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  of  it,  the  instinct  has 
lapsed  through  disuse  in  adult  life,  although  the  capacity  of  expressing  fear  remains 
and  may  be  quickly  aroused  and  directed  towards  particular  objects.  The  timidity  of 
this  bird  in  March  after  a  brief  experience  with  the  ways  of  men  is  therefore  virtually 
an  acquired  character,  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  is  handed  down  by  inheritance. 

The  breeding  range  of  many  northern  birds  covers  a  vast  area,  and  in  different 
sections  there  is  reason  to  expect  much  variation  in  the  habits  of  the  same  species.  The 
timidity  of  the  Arctic  birds  referred  to  may  have  been  due  to  local  conditions  affecting 
a  relatively  small  number,  or  the  birds  may  have  been  young  individuals  whose  intuitive 
fear  had  not  been  worn  away,  or  old  ones  possessed  of  a  wisdom  derived  from  extensive 
travel  southward.  Among  birds  which  are  reputed  to  be  shy,  tamer  individuals  are 
to  be  found,  and  many  acquire  the  habit  of  nesting  in  gardens  and  often  close  to  houses. 
In  the  Galapagos  Islands,  where  birds  had  lived  in  comparative  security  for  ages  with 
no  fierce  and  relentless  enemies  to  mar  their  tranquillity,  the  instinct  of  fear  had  not 
only  lapsed,  but  the  power  of  forming  new  habits  had  weakened.  It  is  therefore  not 
surprising  that  they  should  be  slow  in  acquiring  a  fear  of  man,  but  any  animal  which 
finally  fails  in  the  face  of  constant  persecution  to  profit  by  experience  has  touched 
the  lowest  depths  of  stupidity,  and  its  days  are  numbered. 

1  The  Descent  of  Man,  p.  80. 


INDEX; 


A. 

Abdomen,  size  and  secondary  use  of,  in  young,  121. 

Abstract  ideas,  the  nature  of,  if  present  in  birds,  3. 

Accessories,  or  bird-photographer's  outfit  enumerated,  35. 

Alarm  calls,  in  Catbird,  76,  77;   effect  of,  upon  birds  of  other  species,  77,  122-123;  in  Robin,  123. 

Alarm  clock,  illustration  of,  5. 

Allen,  Charles  A.,  119. 

Allen,  C.  S.,   115,   134. 

Altrices,  definition  of,  117;  development  of  fear  in  young  of,  120;  fate  of  young  due  to  premature 
development  of  fear  in,  120-12 1 ;  care  and  education  of  young  in,  121;  specialization  of  fear  in 
young  of,  121. 

Ampelis  garrulus  (Bohemian  Waxwing),  origin  of  specific  name  in,  52. 

Animal  behavior,  a  working  theory  of,  xvi. 

Animal  photography,  a  desideratum  of,  34. 

Animals,  the  evil  of  anthropomorphism  in  study  of,  xv;  duty  and  privilege  of  student  of,  xv;  the  native 
equipment  of,  xvi;  vulgar  error  concerning,  125;  variable  personalties  of ,  125;  winning  confi- 
dence of,  125-127;  origin  of  natural  wildness  and  tameness  of,  125,  126,  137;  conditions  of 
taming,  126,  127. 

Anthropomorphism,  evil  of,  in  study  of  animal  behavior,  xv. 

Approach  to  the  wild  bird,  the  problem  of,  and  its  solution,  33. 

Audubon,  John  James,  104,  108,  129,  130,  133,  136. 

B. 

Bag,  for  accessories  of  bird-photography,  35;   for  plates,  34. 

Baltimore  Oriole  (see  Oriole). 

Basin  Harbor  (Vt.),  Eaves  Swallow  dispossessed  by  House  Sparrows  at,  114,  115. 

Bird-photography  (see  Photography). 

Birds,  mental  faculties  of,  xvii ;  instincts  of,  xvi ;  problem  of  approaching,  xvii ,33;  strongest  lure  for,  xvii ; 
guiding  senses  of,  3;  rudimentary  condition  of  olfactory  organ  in,  3;  actions  of,  when  nest  is 
robbed,  4;  effect  of  noise  of  photographic  shutter  upon,  5,  34;  effect  of  sounds  upon,  5,  68,  112; 
appearance  of  feather-shafts  in  young  of,  6;  behavior  of,  after  change  of  nesting  site,  n,  22,  39, 
73;  attachment  to  nest,  eggs,  and  young  in,  6,  13;  individualities  of,  36;  attractions  in  haunts 
of  man  for,  5 1 ;  routine  in  home  life  of,  54 ;  interest  in  watching  nesting  habits  of,  at  short  range, 
15,  16,  54;  brooding  in  Cedar-birds,  17,  56;  maternal  instincts  of,  5;  digestion,  assimilation, 
and  growth  of  young  of,  66;  care  of  young  in  nest  of,  94;  brooding  attitudes  of,  94,  97-98; 
automatic  response  in  gullet  of  young  of,  101,  102;  inspection  and  cleaning  of  nest  in,  103-110; 
economy  of  food  in,  102;  struggles  with  insects  at  nests  of,  103;  cleaning  or  sanitary  instinct 
in,  103,  104;  disposal  of  excreta  of  young  of,  104-110;  use  of  excreta  of  young  .as  food  by, 
105-110;  force  of  habit  displayed  in,  in;  cleanliness  of  nesting  site  in,  107,  108;  adapta- 
bility of,  113;  change  of  diet  in,  116;  classification  of,  based  on  early  condition  of  young  in, 
117;  fear  in  old  and  young  of,  117;  fate  of  young  of,  due  to  premature  development  of  fear, 
120,  12 1 ;  lack  of  discrimination  in  young  of,  121;  specialization  of  fear  in  young  of,  121;  use 
of  pot-belly  in  young  of,  121;  effect  of  alarm  calls  of,  on  birds  of  other  species,  77,  122,  123; 
in  winter  at  Jefferson  (O.),  128;  behavior  of,  during  incubation,  134;  taming  of,  125-137; 
tameness  of,  in  nature,  135-137;  of  Galapagos  Islands,  136,  137;  of  Charles  Island,  136;  wild- 
ness  of,  in  Arctic  America,  136-137.  (See  under  names  of  species.) 

139 


Index. 

Blackbird,  Crow  or  Purple  Grackle  (Quiscalus  quiscala,  Linn.),  nest-cleaning  instincts  of,  104,  105; 
and  brooding  Robin,  39. 

Blackbird,  Redwing  (Agelaius  phceniceus,  Linn.),  the  bathing  of,  16;  an  attractive  nest  of,  20; 
preparation  of  nesting  site  of,  for  use  of  tent,  20;  behavior  of,  20;  care  of  young  of,  20,  21; 
brooding  of,  20,  21,  112;  respiration  of,  21;  flight  of  young  from  nest  of,  21;  nest-cleaning 
instinct  of,  104,  105,  112;  eating  excreta  of  young  by,  105;  erection  of  feathers  in  female  of, 
21 ;  force  of  habit  displayed  in,  112. 

Blackbirds,  nest-cleaning  instincts  of,  104. 

Black  cherry  tree  as  an  aviary  in  late  summer,  62. 

Bluebird  (Sialia  sialis,  Linn.) ,  arrival  of,  at  Cleveland  (O.) ,  49 ;  nest-hole  of,  71;  general  habits  of, 
71-75;  arrival  at  Holderness  (N.  H),  71;  at  Northfield  (N.  H.),  71;  call-notes  of,  71,  73;  court- 
ship of,  71;  polygamy  in,  72;  choice  and  care  of  nesting  site,  72;  defense  of  nest  of,  72;  in 
converted  nest  of  Flicker,  72;  removal  of  nest  of,  72;  adjustment  of  vertical  tree-trunk  with 
nest  of,  72;  behavior  of,  after  removal  of  nest,  73;  feeding  young  in,  73;  use  of  tail  for  sup- 
port in,  73;  strength  of  parental  instincts  in,  73-75;  response  of  young  in,  73,  74;  nest-clean- 
ing of ,  74,  75,  104;  young  of ,  and  their  food,  75;  rate  of  feeding  young  in,  75;  in  old  Robin's 
nest,  75  ;  pugnacity  of,  75  ;  number  of  broods  of,  75  ;  repair  of  nest  in,  75. 

Breeding  season,  lateness  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  52;   in  Goldfinch,  52. 

Brewster,  William,  51. 

Bristol  (R.  I),  nesting  of  Osprey  at,  115,  116. 

Brooding,  in  Redwing  Blackbird,  20,  21,  112;  in  Kingbird,  28,  94,  97;  in  Robin,  46,  47,  94,  98;  in  Cedar- 
bird.  17,  57;  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  68;  in  Night  Hawk,  80,  82,  85;  necessity  of,  94;  in  Brown 
Thrush,  94. 

Brown  Thrush   (see  Thrush). 

Bunting,  Bay-winged  (Pooccetes  gramineus,  Gmel.),  and  black  snake,  123. 

Burlington  (Vt.),  arrival  of  Robins  at,  48-49;  nest  of  Black  Duck  at,  119,  120;  records  of  visits  of 
Bohemian  Waxwings  at,  136. 

Buzzard,  Turkey,  filthiness  of  nests  of,  108. 

C. 

Call-notes,  of  Cedar-bird,  17,  56;  of  young  of  Baltimore  Oriole,  18;  of  Robin,  45;  of  Red-eyed  Vireo, 
64,  65;  of  Bluebird,  73;  of  Redwing  Blackbird,  77;  of  Night  Hawk,  81,  82;  of  Kingfisher,  90; 
of  Canada  Goose,  129;  of  Bohemian  Waxwing,  136. 

Camera,  value  of,  in  portrayal  of  animals  in  action,  xviii;  size  and  construction  of,  32;  the  twin  lens, 
32;  the  reflecting,  invention  and  history  of,  32. 

Catbird  (Galeoscoptes  carolinensis.  Linn.) ,  shyness  of,  5;  minute  observations  on,  76-79;  parental  and 
fighting  instincts  of,  76,  77;  description  of  nests  of,  76,  77;  feeding  and  care  of  young  in,  77- 
79;  development  of  wing-quills  in  young  of,  77,  78;  capture  of  dragon-flies  by,  77,  78;  alarm 
notes  of,  76,  77;  suppression  of  fear  in,  76-78;  rate  of  feeding  young  in,  78;  behavior  of 
young  of,  77,  79,  117,  118;  eating  of  excreta  of  young  by,  105;  attracted  by  alarm  of  Robin, 

122. 

Cats,  and  young  after  removal  of  nesting  bough,  15;  as  enemies  of  young  birds,  51 ;  exemplified  in  Jan 
Steen,  51. 

Cedar-bird,  Cedar  Waxwing  (Ampelis  cedrorum,  Viell),  life  at  nest  of,  after  change  of  site,  13,  61;  the 
nesting  of,  17,  52,  53;  removal  of  nesting  bough  of,  17,  54,  57,  59;  call-notes  of,  17,  56;  care 
of  young  by,  18,  54-62,  94;  flight  of  young  of,  18,  60;  spring  and  fall  behavior  of,  52,  53; 
winter  flocks  of,  52;  late  breeding  of,  52;  breeding  season  at  Northfield  (N.  H.),  52;  quiet 
nature  of,  52;  origin  of  names  of,  52;  appendages  to  feathers  of  wings  and  tails  in  young  and 
adult  of,  52—53;  food  of,  62,  63;  position,  materials,  and  construction  of  nests  of,  53,  58;  pro- 
portion of  young  of,  reared,  53;  early  weakness  of  parental  instincts  of,  53,  54;  desertion  of 
nests  in,  54;  the  hatching  of,  54;  routine  in  nesting  habits  of,  54;  favorite  nesting  trees  and 
bushes  of,  53;  regurgitation  of  food  for  young  in,  55,  61;  number  of  berries  carried  in  gullet  of) 
55;  function  of  gullet  in,  55,  56,  101;  habits  of  nestlings  of,  56;  sudden  appearance  of  sense 
of  fear  in  nestlings  of,  56,  60;  timidity  of,  54;  response  to  alarm  signal  in,  57;  brooding  in, 
17,  57,  94;  supplying  colored  yarn  for  nest  of,  58;  time  occupied  in  building  nest  in,  58;  laying 


Index.  141 

Cedar-bird.  Cedar  Waxwing — Continued 

and  incubating,  and  hatching  of  eggs  in,  58,  59;  young  of,  at  birth,  59;  age  of  young  of,  when 
eyes  open,  59;  disappearance  of  young  in  nest  of,  59;  behavior  of,  in  approaching  nest  with 
food,  60;  development  of  color  marks  in  fledglings  of,  60,  61;  appearance  of  feather-shafts 
and  wax-like  tips  in  wings  of,  60;  habits  of  young  of,  when  ready  to  fly,  60;  rate  of  feeding  of 
young  in,  61;  the  feeding,  food,  and  care  of  young  of,  55,  61,  101;  similarity  in  sexes  of,  61, 
62;  peculiar  signals  of,  at  nest,  62,  102;  habit  of  sipping  maple  sap  in,  62;  flocking  of,  in  Au- 
gust, 62  ;  and  the  black  cherry  tree,  62 ;  eating  spiders  or  robbing  them  of  their  prey,  63 ;  taking 
insects  on  the  wing,  62,  63;  gaping  habit  in,  98;  gluttony  of,  102;  inspection  and  cleaning 
the  nest  by,  104,  105-107;  eating  excreta  of  young  by,  105,  106;  parasites  in  nest  of,  107; 
habits  of,  during  incubation,  134. 

Central  Park,  Chickadees  in,  127. 

Chapman,  F.  M.,   127. 

Charles  Island,  tameness  of  birds  of,  136. 

Chatterer,  the  origin  of  name  as  applied  to  the  Waxwings,  52. 

Cherry  Bird  (see  Cedar-bird) . 

Chick,  domestic,  instinct  of  fear  in,  119;   behavior  of,  when  Hawk  passes  overhead,  120. 

Chickadee  (Parus  atricapillus,  Linn.),  cleanliness  of,  104;  attracted  by  Robin's  alarm,  122,  123;  habits 
and  tameness  of,  127,  128;  during  incubation,  134. 

Cicada,  eaten  by  young  of  Cedar-bird,  61;  struggles  of  Kingbirds  with,  103;  combat  of,  with  House 
Sparrow,  103. 

City  life,  possible  origin  of,  in  many  birds,  50. 

Clamp,  the  "Graphic"  ball  and  socket,  34. 

Cleaning  instinct,  103-110  (see  Instincts) . 

Cleveland  (O.),  spring  arrival  of  Robins  and  Bluebirds  at,  49;  Robins  in,  50;  Red-headed  Woodpeckers 
in,  50. 

Color,  discrimination  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  58;   development  of,  in  Kingfisher,  86,  91. 

Courtship  in  Bluebird,  71,  72. 

Cowbird,  early  experiments  of,  in  animal  psychology,  xvi;  young  of,  in  Warbler's  nest,  121,  122;  ab- 
sence of  fear  in ,  122. 

Creeper,  Brown  (Certhia  familians  americana,  Bonap.},  shyness  of,  128,  129. 

Crossbills,  American  (Loxia  curvirostra  minor,  Brehm.),  effect  of  alarm  of  Crow  upon,  122. 

Crow,  effect  of  alarms  of,  upon  other  birds,  122. 

Cuckoo,  appearance  of  feather-shafts  in,  6. 

Cycle,  the  reproductive,  in  birds,  3. 

D. 

Darwin,  Charles,  136,  137. 

Dorchester  (N.  H.) ,  nesting  of  Swift  in  shed  at,  1 14. 
Dorset  (O.),  nesting  of  Swift  in  barn  at,  114. 

Dragon-fly,  capture  and  killing  of,  by  Kingbirds,  28,  103 ;   as  food  of  young  Catbirds,  77-79. 
Duck,  Black  (Anas  obscura,  Gmel.) ,  absence  of  fear  in  newly  hatched  young  of,  1 19 ;  nesting  of,  119,  120; 
behavior  of  old  and  young  of,  when  latter  are  possessed  of  fear,  120. 

E. 

Eagle,  behavior  of,  when  nesting,  compared  with  that  of  Night  Hawk,  80;  improvised  nest  of,  134. 

Earthworms,  fed  to  young  Robin,  46,  47. 

Economy  of  food,  in  Robin,  39 ;  in  the  Kingbird,  28,  102 ;  in  the  Red^eyed  Vireo,  68. 

Eggs,  of  Kingbird,  21;  birds  strongly  attached  to,  13;  incubation  of,  in  Robin,  36;  lateness  of  laying 
of,  in  Cedar-bird  and  American  Goldfinch,  52;  proportion  of  young  reared  to  number  of,  in 
Cedar-bird,  53 ;  laying  and  incubation  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  58;  destruction  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireos, 
69;  hatching  of,  in  Night  Hawk,  80;  relation  of  size  of,  to  condition  of  young  at  birth,  117; 
of  Canada  Goose  hatched  under  hen,  130;  behavior  of  Chestnut-sided  Warblers,  with,  131; 
behavior  of  birds  when  incubating,  134. 


i42  Index. 

Excreta,  character  of,  in  young  of  passerine  birds,  104;  disposal  of,  by  parents,  104-107;  character  of, 
in  young  Kingfisher,  107;  use  of,  as  food  by  adult  birds,  105-107,  109;  character  of,  in  Eagles 
and  Hawks,  108;  actions  of  Cedar-birds  in  taking,  devouring,  or  removing,  from  nest,  106,  107; 
use  of,  as  food  in  Chestnut-sided  Warblers,  109. 

Eyelids,  angular  contour  of,  in  young  Night  Hawk,  So. 

Eyes,  opening  of,  in  young  of  Cedar-bird,  59;  in  young  of  Red-eyed  Vireo,  64. 

F. 

Fauna  of  Galapagos  Islands,  peculiar  character  of,  136,  137. 

Faxon,  W.,  51. 

Fear,  the  instinct  of,  3;  the  suppression  of,  4;  development  of,  in  relation  to  appearance  of  feather- 
shafts  of  wings,  6;  suppression  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  17,  57,  59;  in  Oriole,  19;  in  Redwing  Black- 
birds, 20,  21 ;  in  Kingbird,  22,  27;  in  Robin,  39,  40,  45;  appearance  of,  in  young  Cedar-birds, 
56,  60;  in  young  of  Red-eyed  Vireo,  69;  suppression  of,  in  adult  Bluebird,  72,  73;  in  Catbird, 
76-78;  development  of,  in  young  Catbirds,  77,  79;  nature,  time  of  appearance,  sudden  mani- 
festation, and  adaptive  value  of,  117-124;  instinct  of,  in  domestic  chick,  119;  in  ducklings 
of  Black  Duck,  120;  of  Hawk  in  sky,  expressed  by  chick,  120;  distinction  between  inherited 
and  acquired,  121,  137;  expression  of,  in  Robin,  122;  checked  by  hunger,  126-128. 

Feathers,  development  of,  as  guide  in  controlling  nesting  site,  6;  development  of,  in  Cuckoos,  6;  down, 
in  Bluebird,  75;  development  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  64,  68;  in  Catbirds,  77,  78;  in  King- 
fisher, 86,  91;  in  Night  Hawk,  80,  85;  condition  of,  at  birth  as  basis  for  classification,  117; 
development  of,  relation  to  fear,  6,  117-124. 

Feather-shafts,  appendages  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  52,  60  (see  Feathers). 

Fireflies  as  food  of  young  Night  Hawk,  82. 

Fish,  captured  by  Kingfisher,  90;  resources  of  Kingfisher  to  prevent  escape  of,  92. 

Fly,  robber  (Asilus) ,  fed  to  young  of  Bluebird,  73,  74;  escape  of,  from  grasp  of  Kingbird,  102,  103. 

Focusing-cloth,  adjustment  of,  in  tent,  31. 

Food,  of  young  Cedar-birds,  17,  18,  55,  61;  of  young  Baltimore  Orioles,  19;  of  Kingbird,  28,  102,  103, 
116;  of  young  Robins,  39,  48,  116;  of  Robin  in  summer  and  winter,  48;  of  Cedar-bird,  52,  62, 
63;  economy  of,  in  Kingbird,  28,  102;  in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  68;  in  Chestnut-sided  Warbler, 
109;  distribution  of,  to  young  Cedar-birds  explained,  55;  and  its  distribution  in  Red-eyed 
Vireos,  67-69;  of  young  Bluebirds,  75;  of  young  Catbirds,  78,  79;  of  young  Kingfishers, 
90-92;  of  young  Night  Hawk,  82;  of  Hawks,  Owls,  and  other  birds  under  exceptional  con- 
ditions, 116. 

Foster-children,  treatment  by  Kingbird,  27. 

Fowl,  domestic,  stupidity  and  pugnacity  of,  134. 

Fruits,  fed  to  young  by  Cedar-birds,  17,  61;  by  Orioles,  19;  by  Robins,  48;  eaten  by  Robin  in  winter, 
48;  cultivated,  eaten  as  makeshift,  48;  served  to  young  of  Red-eyed  Vireos,  68,  69;  of  Cat- 
bird, 76,  77,  79. 

G. 

Galapagos  Islands,  observations  of  Darwin  on  fauna  of,  136,  137. 

Gluttony  in  Cedar-birds,  101,  102. 

Goldfinch,  American  (Spinus  tristis,  Linn.} ,  lateness  of  breeding  of,  52 ;  attracted  by  Robin's  alarm,  123. 

Goose,  Canada  (Branta   canadensis ,  Linn.},  young  of,   117;    tamability   of,   127,  129,  130;    habits  and 

breeding  of,  in  captivity,   129.   130. 
Grampus  (Corydalus  cornutus),  feeding  of,  to  young  Kingbirds,  103;    formidable  appearance  and  size 

of,   101,   103. 

Grasshoppers  brought  to  nest  by  Robin,  39. 
Grosbeak,   Pine   (Pinicola  enucleator,  Linn.} ,  range,  habits,  and  relative  tameness  of,  in  winter  and 

spring,  135,  136;   capture  of  male  of,  with  hat,  135. 
Gullet,  distensibility  of,  in  the  Cedar-bird,  55,  61;   effect  of  full,  in  young,  101;  automatic  response  of, 

in  young  birds,  55,  101,  102. 


Index.  143 

H. 

Habit,  definition  of,  as  distinguished  from  habits  in  the  popular  sense,  xvii;  the  formation  of,  3,  4,  5, 
in,  116;  of  Cedar-bird  in  alighting  on  tent,  62;  of  sipping  maple  sap,  in  Cedar-bird,  62;  in 
manner  of  approach  to  nest  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  111-112;  of  walking  backward  and  sitting 
still  in  young  Kingfishers  explained,  89;  of  entering  and  leaving  tunnel,  in  Kingfisher,  90,  91; 
of  Kingfisher  to  prevent  escape  of  prey,  92 ;  of  eating  excreta,  how  acquired  in  a  hungry  bird, 
109,  no;  illustration  of,  in  nest-cleaning,  112;  change  of  food,  in  Rhinoceros-bird,  116;  force 
and  variation  of,  in  nesting  of  Osprey,  115,  116;  plasticity  of,  in  reference  to  food,  116;  of  fear, 
of  special  objects,  121. 

Hawk,  the  Fish  (see  Osprey) ;   Hen,  the  effect  of,  in  sky  upon  chick  in  dooryard,  120. 

Hawks  feeding  on  locusts,  116. 

Hellgamite,  larva?  of  grampus,   103. 

Hinde,  Captain,  116. 

Holderness  (N.  H.),  spring  arrival  of  Bluebirds  at,  71;  habits  of  Pine  Grosbeaks  in  winter  and  spring 
at,  135. 

Humming-bird,  eggs  and  young  of,  117. 

Hunger  in  relation  to  fear,  126-128. 

I. 

Incubation,  in  Kingbird,  21;  in  Robin,  36;  in  Cedar-bird,  58;  of  Eagle  in  captivity,  134;  behavior  of 
birds  during,  134. 

Insects,  struggles  of,  when  brought  to  nest,  102,  103. 

Inspection  of  young  and  nest,  the  importance,  regularity,  and  significance  of,  104-106.  (See  also  under 
names  of  species.) 

Instincts,  denned  in  broad  and  narrow  sense,  xvi:  illustration  of,  in  the  Robin,  xvi;  substitution  of,  by 
habits,  xvii,  4;  the  great  number  of ,  xvi ;  determining  cause  of ,  xvi ;  the  parental,  analysis  of, 
3;  culmination  of,  4;  strength  of,  how  increased,  3,  4;  suppression  of,  3;  periodic  and  serial 
nature  of,  3;  the  fighting,  3,  4  (see  Pugnacity) ;  parental,  relative  strength  of,  in  birds,  5,  13; 
in  Orioles,  19;  in  Kingbirds,. 22;  in  Redwing  Blackbirds,  20,  21;  in  Robins,  39,  45;  in  Cedar- 
birds,  17,  18,  55,  57,  59;  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  64,  65;  in  Bluebirds,  72-75;  in  Night  Hawks,  80, 
82,85;  in  Kingfishers,  86,  90,  91;  use  of  parental,  in  taming  birds,  130-133;  instinctive  reactions 
of  young  of  Cedar-birds,  55;  of  fear,  suppression  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  68;  appear- 
ance of,  in  young  Red-eyed  Vireos,  68;  of  fear,  suppression  of,  in  Bluebirds,  72,  73;  walk- 
ing, in  vertebrates,  89;  of  inspection  of  young  and  nest,  103-106;  cleaning  or  sanitary,  in  birds, 
103-110;  dearth  of  observations  upon  cleaning,  104;  of  cleaning  nesting  site,  107-110;  prey- 
ing, in  young  Red-eyed  Vireos,  67;  of  preening  in  young,  65;  of  Chimney  Swift  in  nest-build- 
ing, 113;  of  fear  in  old  and  young,  117-124;  of  fear  in  domestic  chick,  119;  of  Canada  Goose 
modified  in  captivity,  129,  130;  of  "  feigning "  in  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  131,  132. 

Intelligence,  human,  the  roots  of,  xv,  xvi;   the  sign  of,  xvii. 

J- 

Jay,  Canada,  Moosebird  (Perisoreus  canadensis,  Linn.},  tameness  and  habits  of,  129. 
Jefferson  (O.),  winter  birds  at,  128. 

K. 

Kearton,  the  brothers,  blinds  designed  by,  30. 

Kingbird  (Tyrannus  tyrannus,  Linn.},  the  time  spent  by  young  of,  in  nest  after  change  of  site,  13;  the 
breeding  of,  21;  displacement  of  the  nesting  bough  of,  22;  fighting  instinct  of,  22;  suppression 
of  fear  in,  22,  23;  rate  of  feeding  young  of,  22,  27;  foster  children  of,  27;  crushing  prey  by, 
28;  the  rejection  of  indigestible  parts  of  food  by,  28;  flight  from  nest  of,  28;  brooding  in,  94, 
97;  economy  of  food  in,  102;  escape  of  prey  from  bill  of,  102,  103;  exciting  scenes  at  nest  of, 
103;  feeding  of  large  insects  to  young  of,  103;  eating  excreta  of  young  of,  105;  attracted  by 
alarms  of  other  birds,  123;  perching  on  fishing-rod,  125. 


144  Index. 

Kingfisher,  the  Belted  (Ceryle  alcyon,  Linn.),  general  habits  of,  86-93;  attachment  of,  to  nesting  site, 
86;  subterranean  nest  of,  86;  dimensions  of  nest  of,  86;  young  of,  86,  89,  91-93;  use  of  tarsus 
in  foot  of,  89;  habits  of  young  of,  89,  91,  92;  habit  of  walking  backward,  how  acquired  in 
young  of,  89,  90;  pugnacity  in  young  of ,  89;  use  of  tent  before  tunnel  of,  89,  90;  photographing 
adult,  90;  the  feeding  of  young,  by  parents,  90,  91;  feeding  of  captive  young,  by  hand,  92; 
moving  nesting  chamber  by,  92;  habits  of  young  of,  in  captivity,  92;  structure  of  oesophagus 
and  bill  of,  92;  trick-like  performance  of,  92;  notes  of  adult  and  young  of,  90,  91,  92;  visits 
of,  to  nest,  and  manner  of  entering  and  leaving  tunnel  by,  90,  91;  colors  in  young  of,  86,  91,  92; 
peculiar  expression  in  young  of,  91;  liberation  of  captive  young  of,  93;  parental  instincts  in, 
86,  90,  91;  character  of  excreta  in  young  of,  107;  sanitary  condition  of  nest  in,  107;  develop- 
ment of  fear  in  young  of,  119. 

L. 

Leaves,  plucking  or  cutting  of,  about  a  nest,  8,  14;  keeping,  fresh  on  branches  cut  from  trees  of  various 

kinds,  14,  15  ;   result  of  cutting  of,  at  Catbird's  nest,  79. 
Lenses,  kinds  of,  available  for  photographing  wild  animals,  32-34;     the  Anastigmat,  32,  33;    qualities 

of,  most  needed  in  animal  photography,  33;   long  focus,  32,  34;   telephoto,  32,  34. 
Locust,  Rocky  Mountain,  eaten  by  birds  during  plague,  116. 
Loon,  eggs  and  young  of,  117. 
Lures,  the  young  as,  xvii,  6;   as  a  means  of  taming  without  restraint,  126,  127,  130-133. 

M. 

Maple  sap,  sipping  of,  by  Cedar-birds,  62. 

Methods  of  bird-photography,  the  old,  xvii,  xviii;  the  new,  xviii,  1-16;  analysis  of  new,  3-6;  applica- 
tion of,  7,  8;  precautions  to  be  observed  in  use  of,  8-1 1 ;  extent  of  application  of,  11-13;  table 
of  experiments  in,  12;  objections  to,  13-15;  advantages  of ,  15-16;  fascination  of,  16;  illustra- 
tion of,  17-18;  original  suggestion  of,  54,  55.  (See  also  table,  page  12,  and  under  names  of 
species.) 

Mirrors,  use  of,  35. 

Mites,  parasitic,  on  young  of  Cedar-bird,  107. 

Mount  La  Fayette  (N.  H.),  Pine  Grosbeak  in  summer  at,  135. 

Mouse,  Deer- or  White-footed  (Hesperomys  leucopus,  Raf,  LeC.),  nest  of  Red-eyed  Vireo  occupied  by, 

69'  7°'  .  .  N. 

Narragansett  Bay  (R.  I.),  Fish  Hawks  on  shores  of,  115,  116. 

Naturalist,  duty  and  privilege  of,  xv;   patience  of,  13,  14. 

Nest,  inspection  and  sanitation  of,  103-110;  displacement  of,  2  (see  Nesting  site);  photographing, 
when  inaccessible  to  tent,  34;  of  Cedar-bird,  17,  53,  54,  56,  58,  61;  of  Baltimore  Oriole,  18; 
of  Robin,  36,  40,  49,  50;  of  Red-eyed  Vireo,  64,  69;  of  Bluebird,  72;  of  Catbird,  76,  77;  of 
Night  Hawk,  80;  of  Kingfisher,  86;  of  Chimney  Swift,  113,  114;  of  House  Sparrow,  114;  of 
Osprey,  115,  116,  134,  135;  of  Black  Duck,  119;  of  Magnolia  Warbler,  121;  of  Chestnut-sided 
Warbler,  131;  of  Phoebe,  133;  of  Red-eyed  Vireo,  occupied  by  Yellow  Warbler,  69;  of  same, 
used  by  Deer-mouse,  69,  70;  destruction  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  69;  Bluebird  in  old  Robin's, 
75;  movement  of  nesting  chamber  in  Kingfisher,  92;  filthiness  of,  in  Turkey  Buzzard,  108; 
parasites  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  107;  sanitary  condition  of,  in  Kingfisher,  107;  filthiness  of,  in 
Owls,  108;  habit  in  approaching,  in  Robins,  in;  in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  in,  112;  in  Redwing 
Blackbird,  112;  adaptation  in  character  and  position  of,  113,  114;  unusual  position  of,  in 
Chimney  Swift,  113,  114;  in  House  Sparrow,  114;  of  Bay-winged  Bunting  despoiled  by  black 
snake,  123. 

Nesting  bough,  removal  and  mounting  of,  7  (see  Nesting  site) . 

Nesting  site,  control  of,  i;  rjhen  to  change,  6;  experiments  in  change  of,  tabulated,  12;  accidents  due 
to  change  of,  guarded  against,  12,  13;  change  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  17,  54,  55,  57,  59;  in  Oriole, 
19;  in  Robin,  39,  40;  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  64;  in  Bluebird,  72;  in  Catbird,  76,  77;  in  Night 
Hawk,  80;.  in  Kingfisher,  86,  89,  90;  the  choice  of  new,  by  operator,  7;  attachment  of  birds 
to,  13;  of  Kingfisher  to,  86 ;  of  Osprey  to,  115;  importance  of  cleanliness  of,  in  passerine  birds, 
105;  unusual,  in  Chimney  Swift,  113,  114;  in  Osprey,  115;  lack  of  cleanliness  of , in  birds,  107,  108. 


Index.  145 

Night  Hawk,  Bull-bat  (Chordeiles  virginianus,  Gtnel.'),  the  feeding  of ,  15,  16;  the  rearing  of ,  80-85;  eggs 
and  incubation  of,  80;  behavior  of,  during  incubation,  80;  hatching  of,  80;  the  young  of, 
80-85;  expression  of  fear  in  old  and  young  of,  80,  81;  coralling  the  young  of,  81;  eyes  and 
eyelids  in  young  of,  80;  brooding  habits  of,  80,  82,  85;  call  and  alarm  notes  of,  8 1,  82;  feeding 
habits  in  young  of,  Si,  82;  illumination  of  throat  of,  by  phosphorescent  insects,  82;  encounter 
of  young  of,  with  snake,  81 ;  fledgling  of,  85. 

Northfield  (N.  H.),  breeding  of  Cedar-birds  at,  52;  spring  Bluebirds  at,  71;  nesting  of  Kingfisher  at,  86. 
(See  Preface.) 

Nuthatches,  tameness  and  habits  of,  127,  128. 

O. 

Objections  to  method  considered,  13-15. 

Observations  from  tent,  the  best  time  for,  7,  8. 

Oriole,  Baltimore  (Icterus  galbula,  Linn.},  nest  of,  18;    call-notes  of  young  of,  18;    removal  of  nesting 

bough  of,  19;   behavior  of,  19;    food  brought  to  young  by,  19;    rate  of  feeding  at  nest  of,  19; 

exercise  of  the  fledglings  of,  20;  flight  of  young  of,  from  the  nest,  20;  use  of  tent  at  nest  of,  19; 

cleaning  instinct  in,  104;  lack  of  discrimination  in  young  of ,  121;  summoned  by  alarm  of  Robin, 

122. 

Osprey,  the  American,  or  Fish  Hawk  (Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis,  Gmel.),  nests  and  nesting  habits 
of,  at  Plum  Island  (N.  Y.),  115,  134,  135;  at  Bristol  (R.  I.),  115,  116;  nest  of,  on  cart-wheel 
on  top  of  pole,  116;  actions  of,  upon  loss  of  mate,  116;  tameness  of,  134,  135. 

Owls,  filthiness  of  nests  of,  108;   change  of  feeding  habits  in,  116. 

P. 

Parasites  on  nest  and  young  of  Cedar-bird,  107. 

Partridges,  eggs  and  young  of,  117. 

Patience  required  in  the  naturalist's  work,  13,  14. 

Patten,  William,   114. 

Peep-holes  in  observation  tent,  the  form  and  size  of,  31. 

Phoebe,  taming  of ,  133,  134. 

Phosphorescence,  display  of,  in  Night  Hawk,  82. 

Photography  of  birds,  method  of,  xvii ;  the  future  of,  xviii ;  a  new  method  of,  based  on  animal  instinct, 
xviii;  new  method  described,  1-16;  its  conditions,  i;  its  principles  analyzed,  3;  mode  of 
procedure  in,  7;  precautions  in  use  of,  8;  extent  of  application  of,  11-13;  objections  to,  con- 
sidered, 13-15;  advantages  of,  15-16;  illustrations  of,  17-28;  the  tools  of,  29-35;  °f  birds 
after  they  have  been  tamed,  in  Robin,  131,  in  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  133. 

Pigeon,  English  Wood,  habit  of ,  137  ;  domestic,  tameability  of,  125;  wild  passenger,  condition  of  nest- 
ing site  in,  107. 

Plates,  photographic,  exposure  of,  34;  deterioration  of,  34;  carriage  and  care  of,  34. 

Plover,  eggs  and  young  of,  117. 

Plum  Island  (N.  Y.),  breeding  and  habits  of  Osprey  at,  115,  134,  135. 

Polygamy  in  Bluebirds,  72. 

Popular  natural  history,  defects  of,  xv,  xvi;  illustrations  of,  xviii,  xix. 

Praecoces,    117. 

Precautions  to  be  observed  in  change  of  nesting  site,  8. 

Precision  in  instinctive  acts  of  young  birds,  67. 

Preening  instinct  in  young  Vireos,  65. 

Principles  of  new  method  of  bird-study,  3. 

Pugnacity,  the  instinct  of,  4;  in  Kingbirds,  22;  in  Robins,  40,  134;  in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  67;  in  young 
of  Kingfisher,  89;  in  domestic  fowl,  134;  in  Tropic  Bird,  134. 

R. 

Reaction  of  young  bird  to  stimulus  of  food,  55. 

Redstart,  flight  of  young  of,  from  nest,  118;   attracted  by  Robin's  alarm,  123. 


146  Index. 

Redwing  (see  Blackbird). 

Regurgitation,  of  indigested  food  in  Kingbirds,  28;  of  food  for  young  in  Cedar-birds,  55,61;  in  Vireo,  66. 

Reproduction,  cycle  of,  3,  4. 

Respiration  in  Redwing  Blackbird,  21. 

Response,  of  throat  and  gullet  of  young,  55,  101,  102 ;  in  young  of  Baltimore  Oriole  to  one  of  their  num- 
ber, 12 1 ;  of  young  Red-eyed  Vireos  to  notes  of  other  birds,  68;  of  young  of  Bluebirds,  74;  of 
young  of  Catbirds,  77,  78. 

Rhinoceros-bird  (Buphaga  erythroepyncha),  change  in  food  habits  of,  1 16. 

Robin  (Merula  migratoria,  Linn.),  the  instincts  of,  displayed  in  migration  and  nest  building,  xvi;  no 
learning  of  instinctive  responses  required  or  possible,  xvi;  time  spent  by  young  of,  in  new 
nesting  site,  13;  as  symbol  of  cheerfulness,  36;  history  of,  36-51;  spring  arrival  of,  48,  49; 
incubation  in,  36;  choice  of  nesting  site  in,  49;  behavior  of ,  when  nesting  bough  is  moved,  39, 
40,  45;  call-notes  of,  39,  45;  feeding  young  in,  39,  46-48;  economy  in  food  in,  39;  neatness 
of,  39;  spontaneous  behavior  in,  39;  parental  instincts  of,  39,  40,  45;  panoramic  scenes  at 
nest  of,  46,  47;  flight  from  nest  of,  40,  47,  48;  keenness  of  vision  of,  39;  habits  and  instincts 
of  fledglings  of,  40,  47,  48;  peculiar  notes  of,  for  arousing  the  young  at  nest,  45;  in  winter,  48; 
fruits  eaten  by,  in  summer  and  winter,  48 ;  nests  of,  under  cover,  49,  50 ;  nest  of  second  brood  of, 
50;  in  city  life,  50,  51;  gregarious  habits  of,  in  summer  and  winter.  51;  Bluebird  in  nest  of, 
75;  eating  excreta  of  young  by,  39,  105,  106,  109;  characteristic  attitudes  of,  105;  actions  of,  in 
cleaning  the  nest,  105,  106;  formation  of  habits  in,  in;  food  brought  to  nest  of,  116;  eggs 
and  young  of,  117;  effect  of  alarm  of  female  of,  upon  cock  at  nest,  122;  as  an  exponent  of 
taming  process,  130-131;  display  of  pugnacity  in,  40,  134. 

Roosts  of  Robin  in  summer  and  winter,  51. 

S. 

Sac  of  excreta  in  young,  104;  disposition  of,  by  parents,  104-110;  character  of,  in  Robin  and  inspec- 
tion of,  after  removal  from  nest,  105,  106;  bursting  of,  in  mouth  of  Robin,  109;  seizing  and 
devouring  of,  by  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  109. 

Sanbornton  (N.  H.) ,  Robin's  nest  under  cover  at,  49. 

Sanitation  of  nest,  103-110;  in  Woodpeckers,  Chickadees,  Thrushes,  Waxwings,  Vireos,  Warblers, 
Orioles,  Blackbirds,  Bluebirds,  104;  in  Crow  Blackbird,  104,  105.  (See  also  under  names  of 
species.) 

Shutter,  concealment  of  observer  while  setting,  31;  iris  diaphragm,  34;  focal  plane,  34;  time  marks  of. 
34;  rapidity  of,  34;  a  desideratum  in,  5,  34. 

Sim,  Robert  J.,  62,  114,  128. 

Snake,  rescue  of  Vireo  from,  69;  encounter  of  Night  Hawk  with,  81 ;  black,  in  act  of  swallowing  young 
bird,  123. 

Snipe,  eggs  and  young  of,  117. 

Snow  eaten  by  Chickadees,  128. 

Sounds,  effect  of,  upon  birds,  5,  68,  112. 

Sparrow,  Chipping,  suppression  of  fear  in,  5;  House  (Passer  domesticus.  Linn.),  pugnacity  of,  72;  com- 
bat of,  with  cicada,  103;  condition  of  nesting  site  in,  107;  nesting  of,  in  hood  of  electric 
street-lamps,  114;  nest  of  Eaves  Swallow  appropriated  by,  114,  115;  tameability  of,  125,  127; 
Song  (Melospiza  fasciata,  Gmel.),  nest  of,  12;  attracted  by  alarm  of  Robin,  123;  habits  of, 
during  incubation,  134. 

Spiders  or  their  prey  eaten  by  Cedar-birds,  63. 

Stork,  habits  of,  125. 

Swallow,  Barn  (Chelidon  erythrogaster ,  Bodd.) ,  accident  to  young  of,  49;  condition  of  nesting  site  in,  107 ; 
Eaves  (Petrochelidon  lunifrons,  Say) ,  dispossessed  of  nest  by  House  Sparrow,  114,  115. 

Swift,  Chimney  (Chcetura  pelagica,  Linn.),  significance  in  change  of  nesting  habits  of,  113,  114:  nesting 
instinct  of,  113;  nesting  of,  in  barn  and  shed,  114. 

T. 

Tail  of  Bluebird  used  for  sxrpport,  73-74. 

Tarreness,  of  birds  in  nature,  125,  127,  128,  135-137;  of  the  Pine  Grosbeak,  135;  of  Bohemian  Wax- 
wing,  136;  of  Crossbills,  136;  of  birds  of  Galapagos  Islands,  136. 


Index.  147 

Taming  birds  without  a  cage,  125-137. 

Taming  process,  conditions  and  analysis  of,  126,  127;  use  of  tent  in,  130;  Robins  and  Chestnut-sided 
Warblers  as  exponents  of,  130-133;  Phoebe  as  illustration  of,  133,  134. 

Tarsus,  use  of,  in  Kingfisher,  89. 

Tent,  as  an  observatory,  2,  15,  16;  time  required  for  birds  to  become  accustomed  to,  5,  n;  window  of, 
5 ,  31;  the  time  to  use,  7 ;  precautions  in  use  of,  8 ;  experiments  in  use  of,  tabulated,  1 2 ;  the 
future  of,  as  an  observatory  for  the  study  of  birds,  13;  protection  afforded  by,  15;  advantages 
of  position  of,  15;  before  Cedar-bird's  nest,  17,  55,  57,  59;  as  an  observatory  for  the  birds,  12, 
21,  45,  58;  before  nest  of  Redwing  Blackbird,  20;  before  nest  of  Oriole,  19;  construction  of? 
29;  convenience  of,  30;  instructions  for  use  of,  31;  before  nest  of  Red-eyed  Vireo,  64;  before 
nest-hole  of  Bluebird,  72;  beside  nest  of  Catbird,  76,  77;  before  young  of  Night  Hawk,  81; 
before  tunnel  of  Kingfisher,  89,  90;  use  of,  in  taming  birds,  130;  before  nest  of  Chestnut-sided 
Warbler,  132,  133. 

Tent-cloth,  material  and  color  of,  29. 

Tent-frame,  dimensions  and  construction  of,  29. 

Tent-pins,  form  and  use  of,  29,  31. 

Tent- window,  position  of,  31. 

Throat,  response  of,  in  young  birds,  55;  color  of,  in  young  Robin,  39;  as  target  for  the  parent,  49:  in 
young  Cedar-bird,  56;  inflation  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  66;  in  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  97. 

Thrush,  Brown  (Harporhynchus  rufus,  Linn.),  camping  beside  nest  of,  94;  brooding  of  young  in,  94; 
eating  excreta  of  young  by,  105 ;  attracted  by  alarm  of  Robin,  122 ;  Wilson's  or  Veery  (Turdus 
fuscescens,  Steph.) ,  young  of,  12;  premature  development  of  fear  in  young  of ,  121. 

Thrushes,  cleaning  instinct  of,  104. 

Trees,  keeping  fresh  leaves  of  cut  branches  of,  15;  mutilation  of ,  15. 

Tripod,  best  form  of,  34. 

Tropic  Bird,  pugnacity  of,  during  incubation,  134. 

V. 

Venice,  "doves"  or  pigeons  of,  125. 

Vireo,  Red-eyed  (Vireo  olivaceus,  Linn.},  coming  to  tent,  5;  nest  and  yoxing  of,  64;  call-notes  of,  65:  be- 
havior of  nestlings  of,  64,  65,  67,  68;  digestion  and  assimilation  in  young  of,  66;  feeding  the 
young  in,  65-68;  inspection  and  cleaning  the  young  in,  65,  67,  68;  sleekness  and  neatness  of, 
67;  preying  instinct,  in  young  of,  67;  young  of,  aroused  by  notes  of  other  birds,  68;  capture 
of  prey  by,  68;  indifference  of,  to  customary  sounds,  68;  signs  of  emotion  in,  68;  suppression 
of  fear  in,  68;  appearance  of  sense  of  fear  in  young  of,  69;  rate  of  feeding  at  nest  of,  69;  old 
nest  of,  utilized  by  Yellow  Warblers,  69;  old  nest  of,  used  by  deer-mouse,  69,  70;  flight  from 
nest  of,  69;  rescue  of  young  of,  from  snake,  69;  destruction  of  nest  of,  69;  fragility  of  old 
nests  of,  69;  carelessness  in  construction  of  nest  in,  69;  eating  of  excreta  of  young  by,  105; 
cleanliness  of  nesting  site  in,  108;  habit  of  approaching  the  nest  in,  in,  112;  attracted  by 
alarm  of  Robin,  122,  123. 

W. 

Walking,  instinct  of,  in  vertebrates,  89;  habit  of,  in  young  of  Kin  gfisher,  89. 

Warbler,  Yellow  (Dendroica  cestiva,  Gmel.},  using  nest  of  Red-eyed  Vireo,  69;    Chestnut-sided  (Den- 

droica  pennsylvanica,  Linn.) ,  excreta  of  young  of,  eaten  by,  105,  109 ;  nesting  habits  of,  13 1-133 ; 

taming  of,   132-133;    photographing,  without  tent,   133;    attracted  by  alarm  of  Robin,   122; 

development  of  fear  in  young  of,  118;   Magnolia  (Dendroica  maculosa,  Gmel.},  as  foster  parent 

to  Cowbird,  121,  122;    fate  of  rightful  young  of,  122;    Maryland  Yellow  Throat,  attracted  by 

alarm  of  Robin,  123. 

Waxwing,  origin  of  name  of,  52 ;  Bohemian,  habits  and  record  of,  136  (see  Cedar-bird). 
Wildness,  of  birds,  origin  of,  125,  126,  137. 
Woodpecker,  use  of  old  nest-hole  of,  by  Bluebird,  72;    cleanliness  of  nest  in,  104;    Downy  and  Hairy, 

tameness  of,  in  winter,  128,  129;   eggs  and  young  of,  117;  habits  of,  during  incubation,  134. 


148  Index. 

Y. 

Young,  as  strong  lure,  xvii,  6,  126,  127,  130;  exposure  of,  to  intense  heat,  8;  study  of,  at  nest,  8;  danger 
to,  from  insufficient  food,  10;  proper  age  of,  when  nesting  site  is  changed,  6;  necessity  of  shade 
to,  8,  13;  of  Cedar-bird,  18,  60;  of  Baltimore  Oriole,  18,  19;  frequency  of  feeding,  in  Orioles, 
19;  call-notes  of,  in  Oriole,  18;  exercise  of,  in  Oriole,  20;  flight  from  nest  of,  in  Oriole,  20; 
feeding  of,  in  Redwing  Blackbird,  2 1 ;  hatching  of,  in  Kingbird,  2 1 ;  change  of,  in  nest  of  King- 
bird, 27;  feeding,  in  Kingbird,  27,  28,  103;  brooding  in  Kingbird,  28,  94,  97;  flight  of,  from 
nest  in  Kingbisd,  28;  gape,  color  of  mouth,  and  behavior  of,  in  Robin,  39,  40,  47;  flight  of, 
from  nest,  in  Robin,  40,  47,  48;  cats  as  enemies  of,  51;  instinctive  reaction  of,  to  food  in  Cedar- 
bird,  55;  hatching  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  58,  59;  opening  of  eyes  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  59;  of  Cedar- 
bird  leaving  the  nest,  18,  60;  time  spent  in  nest  by,  in  Cedar-bird,  60;  appearance  of  feather- 
shafts  and  wax-like  appendages  to  wings  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  60 ;  development  of  color-marks  of, 
in  Cedar-bird,  60,  61 ;  habits  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  60 ;  food  and  care  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  55-62 ;  cleaning 
of,  in  Cedar-bird,  56,  105-107;  digestion,  assimilation,  and  growth  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  66; 
behavior  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireo,  64-68;  preying  instinct  of,  in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  67;  aroused 
by  notes  of  other  birds,  68;  appearance  of  fear  in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  69;  rate  of  feeding  of, 
in  Red-eyed  Vireos,  69;  response  and  feeding  of,  in  Bluebird,  73;  food  and  rate  of  feeding,  in 
Bluebird,  75;  feeding  and  care  of,  in  Catbird,  77,  78,  79;  rate  of  feeding  of,  in  Catbirds,  78; 
behavior  of,  in  Catbirds,  78,  79;  of  Night  Hawk,  80;  hatching  of,  in  Night  Hawk,  80;  color  of, 
in  Night  Hawk,  80,  85 ;  eyes  of,  in  Night  Hawk,  80 ;  behavior  of,  in  Night  Hawk,  80-82 ;  walking 
of,  in  Night  Hawk,  81;  coralling  of,  in  Night  Hawk,  81;  call-notes  of,  in  Night  Hawk,  81,  82; 
feeding  habits  in  Night  Hawk,  81,  82,  85;  fledgling  stage  in  Night  Hawk,  85;  call-notes  of,  in 
Kingfisher,  90,  91,  92;  colors  of,  in  Kingfisher,  86,  91,  92;  peculiar  expression  of,  in  Kingfisher, 
91;  development  of  feathers  of,  in  Kingfisher,  86,  91;  function  of  tarsus  of,  in  foot  of  King- 
fisher, 89;  general  habits  of,  in  Kingfisher,  89,  91,  92;  habit  of  walking  backward  in,  of  King- 
fisher, how  acquired,  89 ;  habit  of  sitting  still,  in  Kingfisher,  89,  90;  pugnacity  of,  in  Kingfisher, 
89;  feeding  of,  in  Kingfisher,  90,  91;  habits  of,  in  captive  Kingfishers,  92;  care  of,  94;  brooding 
and  feeding  of,  94-103;  diet  of,  in  Cedar-bird,  101;  automatic  response  of  gullet  of,  101,  102; 
inspection  and  cleaning  of,  103-110;  character  of  excreta  in,  104;  disposal  of  excreta  of,  by 
parents,  104-107;  character  of  excreta  in  Kingfisher,  107;  use  of  excreta  of,  as  food  by  adults, 
105,  107,  109;  development  of  fear  of ,  in  Catbird,  117,  118,  in  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  118, 
in  Kingfisher,  119;  imperfect  digestion  of  food  in,  109;  fear  in,  117-122;  condition  of,  at  time 
of  hatching,  as  basis  for  classification,  117;  fear  in  Black  Ducklings,  120;  death  of,  due  to 
premature  development  of  fear,  120,  121;  lack  of  discrimination  in,  121;  behavior  of,  in  Bal- 
timore Orioles,  121;  care  and  education  of,  121;  acquisition  of  fear  of  special  objects  in,  121; 
use  of  pot-belly  of,  121 ;  of  Bay-winged  Bunting  attacked  by  black  snake,  123. 


>  ON 


JWN  %l/$g2 
MAR 

MAY  15 


M/JR     4  1939 


*0    1930 


\ 


DEC  24  1940 


21-50»«.8 


B10LOG* 
LIBRARY 

G 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


